Time To Love
by soleilthesun8994
Summary: So many people can come into our lives...but you can never forget the first one who came and made it all worthwhile. Jonghyun/Jessica story. Based on a true story.  with some minor alterations
1. Halloween Party

[I DON'T OWN ANYTHING BUT THE PLOT. CHARACTERS AND SONGS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPANIES J I AM BUT A WRITER WITH A CREATIVE IMAGINATION AND AN OVERWORKED HEART. THIS IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY…]

She wasn't exactly the most popular girl in school. She wore her hair ordinarily, with a small clip on the side. Her hair which was half honey gold and half brown that flowed past her jaw line was never as pretty as the curly locks of the more popular girls. Her eyes were big and round though not so but they were different from the others' eyes so that was the only feature of hers that stood out. Otherwise, with her pale skin and not so extraordinary features, she was just one of those girls. Don't even get me started on her fashion sense. She didn't care about that, either. On regular days, she'd throw on a t-shirt and jeans and top it all off with a corduroy jacket that had the same color as her hair. With her always was her notebook in which she'd write all her thoughts and some stories for the writing team which she was a part of.

Since she wasn't that popular, she only had a small group of friends, most of which were just as quiet and cold as her. Nobody really noticed her and she wasn't expecting anyone to anyways. She was content with being the unpopular or one of the unpopular girls in school. How much she would cringe whenever she'd hear her female classmates talking about their hair or their nails or their clothes. To her, none of those matter. For as long as she was alive and she could do what she loved, that was alright with her.

Who is she, anyways? Well you must be really slow if you don't know by now. The cold stares, acting like she doesn't care. Who else could this be but Jessica Jung.

It was in their 3rd year of high school. Let's fast forward into the middle part of the school year. Jessica had just finished her articles for the school paper and was looking to do something else.

"Ma'am! The papers are here!" she handed the papers to the head of the writing team. Mrs. Park looked at the papers and reviewed everything.

"Alright Jessica, these would do." she said with a smile. Jessica gleefully clasped her hands to her chest, a feeling of enlightenment.

"Yes! Free at last!" Jessica cheered as she picked her things up and hurriedly left the library. Jessica had other plans that day. She was running down the hall in her hurry when she bumped into her friend Key. Key at that time was with a new student. Jessica dropped all her things and laughed. Key laughed along with her as he helped her pick her stuff up.

"I'm so sorry! Please don't yell at me!" Key begged jokingly. Jessica was known for being really scary when angry but since Key was her friend, she just laughed it off while helping him sort her stuff out. They both stood up and Jessica glanced at Key's new friend.

"Oh, Jessica! I'd like to introduce you to someone." he said.

"Is it your friend here?" Jessica asked.

"Well…yeah." Key answered. "Jessica, I'd like you to meet Jonghyun." Jessica made eye contact with Jonghyun and extended her hand to shake his. Jonghyun took hers and shook it with a smile on his face.

Jonghyun's hair was all spiky, must've been a lot of gel. His face was long and his stare was a bit intimidating but to Jessica, his touch was warm and friendly, nothing like the way he looked. Jonghyun had glasses with thick black rims on which made Jessica smile.

"Hi! I'm Jessica Jung. I've been here for quite some time." she said.

"Hi Jessica. I'm Kim Jonghyun. "

"What school did you come from?"

"Oh. Just some high school far away from here. Not that far, though."

"Just a short drive away from here?"

"I wouldn't call it a short drive but it's not accessible by foot." Jonghyun clarified.

"Ah! The District Christian School there?"

"Yeah."

"Damn! Were you classmates with Seo Joo Hyun?" asked Jessica surprised. Key just smiled at how quick the two were getting along.

"No but I know Seo Joo Hyun. I've known her since we were at the District School but since we ride on the same bus, I'm kinda familiar with her. We don't talk that much, though because she's very quiet."

"Yeah. Seo and I are the same." Jessica said with a smile.

"Hey! The Halloween Party here's next week! You coming?" asked Jonghyun.

"Hmm…I don't know. I'm not really a party person. 'Sides, none of my friends are coming so I won't have anyone to like be with."

"Hey! We're coming! You won't feel so alone with us. We promise, we'll stay with you." he said.

"I still have to think about it. I have to ask my mom about it first." Jonghyun then smiled and raised his hand, waiting for a high-five from Jessica. Jessica shook her head and gave him the high five. She was just so happy with her new friend.

[THE FOLLOWING DAY]

"Guess what!" Jessica burst with excitement as she saw her friends Seohyun and Yoona, two of the quietest girls in class. Yoona and Seohyun smile at their friend's enthusiasm. It wasn't like her to be noisy but judging by the smile on her face, it must be something good.

"Why? What?" asked Yoona and Seohyun.

"I met this new friend. Key introduced me to him." Seohyun looked pleasantly at Jessica.

"Who is he?" asked Yoona with curiosity.

"Do you know the new student from the other section? The one with spiky hair and glasses?" her two friends looked at each other with puzzled faces. Their faces pissed Jessica off and made her roll her eyes. "Seohyun, you know him! You used to be his schoolmate! The District Christian School?" Seohyun's face lightened up.

"AH! Kim Jonghyun! Yeah! I know him. What now?"

"Well because Key introduced me to him and he's such a nice guy! Plus, I'm going to the Halloween Party with them."

"You're going to the Halloween Party? I thought you weren't." Yoona asked.

"Well because I have him and Key so I'll still have company."

"Are you sending us away because you have a new boyfriend?" Seohyun teased.

"Excuse me! He is not my boyfriend! You know very well whom I like." the three girls eyed Jaebum, the writer from the senior class. Another one of those quiet students but not close friends with Jessica. The three giggled.

"Well don't make Jaebum jealous. If he sees you with Jonghyun he just might flip!" Yoona teased.

"No way! Jonghyun is not my boyfriend. We've known each other for only a day! He can't be my boyfriend. Plus, Jaebum's attending the party. So if I want to see him look really different or in an attire that's entirely different from what he usually wears, then I'm going!" Seohyun laughed at her.

"But to be honest with you, Jonghyun is a very smart guy. We weren't classmates at the District Christian School but I'd hear about his accomplishments and how he was really involved in academics-related events there."

"Really? No wonder he talks so eloquently. He's very educated."

"Exactly." Seohyun said. "Plus, his PR skills are awesome, I'm telling you. To be honest, Jonghyun's a nerd but if you're gonna ask me, he's not like the nerds who'd lock themselves up in their rooms and study 'til their eyes pop out. Jonghyun is a really friendly person and he loves talking to anyone and everyone. If he knows you and likes you, he'll say hi to you with a smile. He's a very warm person."

"But he sure doesn't look like one." Yoona said.

"You can't judge a person based on how they look, Yoong." Jessica said. "Jonghyun's a really nice person once you get to know him. When I was with him, he rarely had blank expressions. He had a smile on his face the whole time."

"He had a smile on his face because a girl approached him and talked to him for the first time!" Yoona jokingly said. Jessica glinted her eyes and gave her the cold stare.

"Just kidding!" Yoona followed up. "Yeah, I think he's a nice guy and all."

"So are you two going?" asked Jessica.

"No. You know how my parents are when it comes to parties." answered Seohyun.

"Same here." added Yoona.

"Well then I guess it's just me, Key, and Jonghyun." Jessica said cheerfully.

"Hey! Don't forget Jaebum!" Seohyun pitched in. The three laughed and talked about Onew while shooting glances at him.

[A WEEK LATER, A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE PARTY]

Jessica was in her room getting ready for the party. It was actually her first time to attend a party so she was kind of nervous about how she would look. She put on a black dress (since the theme was all black) and earrings to match. Jessica was very simple so she had no idea how to put her makeup on. She then decided to go without any makeup on but her mother insisted on a little bit of foundation and lip gloss.

"You look so ordinary without makeup!" scolded her mother. "Do you expect people to look your way with that face? You have to look pretty." Jessica scoffed at her mother.

"Mom I'm not going to impress. I'm going to have fun." Jessica argued.

"Look at your get up? Does that look like a party get up?" her mother scolded once more. Jessica's mother was really picky when it came to her clothes and the way she fixed herself. Actually, her mother was particular about everything and was very strict. Yes, Jessica had her freedom but it had very certain limitations. Her mom would snoop into her business and tell her what to do most of the time. Jessica's mom was the annoying, overprotective type who asks too many questions.

"Mom. Please. It's me who's going to the party, not you. Stay out of it." Jessica grabbed her bag and walked out of her room. Her mom just watched her and shook her head while cleaning up after Jessica's mess.

At the party, nobody recognized Jessica either because Jessica was all dressed up looking so much different from the Jessica the school knew or because it was dark. Either way, Jessica was there for the fun, not the attention. She walked around the basketball court trying to look for Key and Jonghyun. The place was very noisy and strobe lights were blinding her, thus making it hard for Jessica to see and walk. Her foot toppled because of her heels but before she could even fall flat on her butt, someone caught her.

It was Kwon Yuri, her friend from the other section.

"Woah! Are you alright!" she said as she tried to fix Jessica's hair. Jessica pushed her hand away and fixed her bangs her way.

"Yeah. My heels are just a tad bit too high!" Jessica said. "Say, have you seen Key and Jonghyun?"

"No. Wait. You know Jonghyun?" asked Yuri surprised. Jessica nodded with one eyebrow up.

"Uhh. Yeah?" she answered.

"No. I haven't. Hey Jessica! I heard you like dancing now." Jessica's eyes widened in shock. She had been dancing for some time, copying routines that she'd see on the Internet, YouTube mainly. She had been wanting to show her dancing talent but she just didn't know when and where.

"How did you know?"

"Key told me you told him you danced a lot!" Yuri said. "So what I did is, I signed you up for the Free Dancing program that's happening later on!" Jessica's eyes widened even more and her jaw dropped.

"You what?"

"Yeah! I mean, you've ALWAYS wanted to dance, right? So why not?" Jessica felt nervous, embarrassed, and excited all at the same time. Finally, her moment came.

"So you mean, I'm gonna dance later?"

"WE are gonna dance." Yuri said with a sly smile. "Besides, Jaebum's here. You want him to see you dance, don't you?" Yuri winked at Jessica who nervously bit her lip.

"What are we supposed to dance?"

"If you know "Genie", we'll survive." Jessica's eyelids dropped a bit, a sign of relief. She smiled widely and hugged Yuri.

"Let's do it!" she whispered into Yuri's hair.

"Great! You said you were looking for Jonghyun and Key?"

"Yeah. I was."

"Well, I've seen Key but as for Jong, I haven't really."

"Okay. Let's just approach them later."

Yuri and Jessica spent the evening together preparing for their dance number for the Free Dancing program. The Free Dancing program was just about to start when Yuri told Jessica that they were only two performances away from performing.

"Okay. Only two more and it's our turn." Yuri said. Jessica nodded in nervousness.

After the two performances, the MC called Yuri and Jessica up. It was their turn to dance. The two girls walked to the stage hand in hand. All of the school marveled in awe when Jessica Jung's name was called. Nobody really expected Jessica to dance. They didn't even expect her to come. Everybody flocked near the stage and Key and Jonghyun, whom Jessica was looking for, suddenly popped up and pushed their way to the part nearest to the stage. Jessica saw them and gave them a confident smile. The two girls positioned and the music…started.

**[song: Genie by SNSD]**

_Sowoneul malhaebwaNi mamsokae itneun jageun ggoomeul malhaebwaNi meolieh itneun isanghyungeul geulyuhbwaGeuligo naleul bwaNan nuh eh genie ya, ggoomiya, genie ya_

Jessica stepped forward and winked. The crowd went crazy but though Jessica was deep into the dance, she couldn't help but notice a small group of girls-popular girls-walking away with sour and pissed off expressions on their faces. Jessica continued the dance but her facial expression was less happy.

_Deulimkaleul tago dallyuhbwaNun nae yupjaliae anjaGeujuh iggeullim sokeh modoo dunjyuhGaseum bukcha teojyeo buhlyuhdoBalam gyulae nallyeo buhlyuhdoJigeum isoon gan sesangeun nuh eh gut_

Yuri noticed the worried expression on Jessica's face. She shot short glances at Jessica and when their eyes finally met, Yuri smiled encouragingly at Jessica and urged her by stares to go on. Jessica nodded her head and danced more energetically. The chorus came and the girls were on fire, dancing hotter than ever. This made the crowd go crazy. Key was taking a video of them while Jonghyun was just studying Jessica.

_Geulaeyo nan nul saranghaeUnjaena miduh ggoomdo yuljungdo da joogo shippuhNan geudae sowoneul ilyuhjoogo shipeun (shipeun) hengoonae yeoshinSowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for you, boy)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for your wish)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for your dream)Naegaeman malhaebwa (I'm genie for your world)_

For some reason at that moment, Jonghyun just couldn't take his eyes off Jessica. Something about her was just so attractive but he couldn't quite point out what it was. He started feeling something but he tried shaking it off because he and Jessica were just friends and they met just a few days ago so assured himself that he wasn't feeling anything. He tried to look at Yuri to give her her fair share of attention but his eyes keep on going back to Jessica. He never really thought Jessica could dance like that. His first impression of her was that she was a quiet girl. And this kind of confidence from a girl who was normally cold and quiet was attractive.

_Sowoneul malhaebwaJiloohan naldeuli nun jigyubji anniPyungbumhan senghwalae nun moodhyuh bulyutniIjae geuman ggaeuhnaNun na eh superstar, shining star, superstarShimjangsori gateun ddullimae harley ae ni momeul matgyeobwaJihae isesangeun ojik nuh ae moodaeHwanhosori gateun padoga nae gaseumen nuh ae cheh oniNaneun nuh ae gil youngwonhan biggest fan_

_Geulaeyo nan nul saranghaeUnjaena miduh ggoomdo yuljungdo da joogo shippuhNan geudae sowoneul ilyuhjoogo shipeun (shipeun) hengoonae yeoshin_

Yuri and Jessica were nearing the second chorus when they both decided to change things up a bit, just to excite and shake up the audience that was going crazy. The two girls did a little freestyle dance battle which won the approval of the crowd. Yuri showed off her dancing skills which was pretty much expected of her but what they weren't expecting was Jessica to show hers off that well. She showed flexibility, grace, and attitude on stage which weren't really present in her when she's walking down the hall. This made everyone cheer even louder.

_Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for you, boy)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for your wish)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for your dream)Naegaeman malhaebwa (I'm genie for your world)Sowoneul malhaebwa_

Towards the bridge, Yuri knelt on one knee, leaving Jessica standing up. Jessica then waved to the crowd and walked seductively around the stage. Finally, she said enthusiastically,

_DJ! put it back onGeulaeyo nan nul saranghaeUnjaena miduh ggoomdo yuljungdo da joogo shippuhNan geudae sowoneul ilyuhjoogo shipeun (shipeun) hengoonae yeoshinSowoneul malhaebwaNan nul saranghae. nun na eh musicNan nul saranghae. nun na eh gibbeumNan nul saranghae. nun na eh hengooni dwego shippuh(Nuh eh fantasy leul soomgim ubshi malhaebwaNaneun genie gileul boyeojoolgaeNiga gajin sowon soomgimubshi malhaebwaNuh eh genie naega deuluh joolgaeSowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for you, boy)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for your wish)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for your dream)Naegaeman malhaebwa (I'm genie for your world)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for you, boy)Sowoneul malhaebwa (I'm genie for your wish)Sowoneul malhaebwa_

The two posed after their dance number, smiling and hyperventilating cause of exhaustion. The crowd clapped and howled and as they made their way down, they were met by congratulations and praises. Yuri was used to the attention being a dancer and all but Jessica was very flattered. Never in her life had she received so much recognition. This was the closest she probably got to being a popular girl.

While walking around the court, Jessica felt a cold her shoulder. The touch was so cold it made her jump and whip around. It was Key. Key childishly waved his hand.

"You were so great! I didn't know you danced so well." he said.

"Well I told you about my dancing, didn't I?"

"Yeah but that was totally unexpected. You should dance again, Jessica! Who knows, you might beat the popular girls and dethrone them!" he said. Jessica and Key laughed at that notion. All of a sudden, Jonghyun comes out of nowhere with a light-up lollipop. Jessica waved at him and greeted him with a high five.

"I didn't know you were here! I was looking all over for you!"

"I was just around, hidden from human sight!"

"Say have you seen Jaebum?" asked Jessica.

"No I haven't. Besides, why are you looking for Jaebum?"

"I just want to ask him if he saw my dance…" Jessica noticed Jonghyun's lollipop. She turned to Key and asked where she could buy one of those lollipops.

"Here." Jonghyun handed a spare lollipop which he took out of his pocket to her. Jessica thanked him and ripped the top of the wrapper, putting the lollipop in her mouth. She sucked it for a while, taking it out every once in a while trying to find the light switch.

"Say, where's the light switch. Like how do you make it glow. I can't seem to find it." Jonghyun took the lollipop from her and turned it on by flicking a small tab that was below the round sugar confection. He handed it back to her and she sucked it once more, the end glowing pink.

"Thanks, Jonghyun. Wow! You're of great help!" Key looked at them with a big grin on his face.

"You wanna hang out?" asked Jonghyun.

"Sure! Come on, Key! Hang out with us!" Just then, Onew caught Jessica's eye and she felt the need to approach her but since she and Onew were friends through the writing club, it was Onew who saw her and approached her. Jonghyun and Key made way for Onew.

"Hey! I saw your dance earlier. You were good!" he clapped. Onew teased Jessica about her passion for dancing before so she didn't really take it seriously. But she felt flattered in a way because she really liked Onew.

"Thanks." she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"You were super good! You should dance again!" he said.

"Nah!" Jessica replied.

"I got some stuff to take care of. Catch you later!" Jaebum walked away and joined his two friends Taecyeon and Nickhun. Jessica just watched him and turned her attention to Jonghyun and Key who were talking about video games. Jessica-who wasn't really into video games-sat down with them. They didn't really feel her presence until she spoke and when she did, they stopped talking about video games and entertained Miss Jung.

"So who was that guy?" asked Key.

"Oh? Jaebum? He's a friend of mine. He's from the writing club and he's a senior." she said.

"Oooh…"Jonghyun said.

"Yeah. Park Jaebum."

"Say, how long have you been studying here?" asked Jonghyun.

"So long that I lost count of the years."

"Hahaha." Jonghyun just laughed. "You seem like a really good friend. And an awesome dancer, too! I'd like to get to know you better. I hope we can get along well!"

"I hope so too." Jessica extended her hand for him to shake, just like the first day. Jonghyun took and shook it.

"By the way! I see you aren't wearing your glasses!" she said.

"Oh my glasses? They're in my pocket. I'd like to take a break from seeing every once in a while…"

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


	2. Asking Out Is Hard To Do

_Fast forward to two months after the Halloween Party, Jessica gained more and more attention because of her dancing. More and more people loved her and at the same time, more and more people hated her. The thing is, Jessica didn't care. All she cared about was her passion and the guy she liked. Park Jaebum._

_Being a part of the Student Council, though too lazy to do her job well, Jessica and the rest of the Student Council announced that they would be throwing another party before the winter break. That party would be exclusive for high school students, freshmen to seniors. That party was the High School Ball. _

"_Before we go on and enjoy the holidays with our families, we want to have a small celebration. That's the high school ball. There'll be fun, food, music, bands, and dancing. Come in any casual attire but keep it decent and simple…" yapped the Student Council president Taeyeon. Jessica just looked at her and scanned the classroom. They had been going around from freshmen to junior. They were now in the senior classroom…in Jessica's classroom. Jessica tried to ignore the rude and mean stares that her classmates were giving her and tried to pay attention to what Taeyeon was saying and to her friends who were attentively listening and actually respecting her presence. _

_Finally, when the announcement was over, Jessica walked back to her seat at the back and some of the students were murmuring about her. Just so happens that Jessica overheard Jo Kwon's whispers and grabbed the collar of his shirt._

"_You take that back, you rude asshole!" she yelled at his face. The class fell silent and Jo Kwon was petrified. She sat down and wrote some important things down in her notebook. She tried to plan the things that she'd be doing at the High School Ball._

"_Okay so what can I dance? Should I dance 'Tell Me' or 'Abracadabra'?" _Just then, Jessica remembered that the prom was coming up. She overheard her other seatmates talking about it and it kind of reminded her about the harsh reality that she didn't have a date and probably wouldn't have one. Jessica wasn't popular among the boys in her class and in the other section. They always talked about her behind her back and made fun of her, and so did the popular girls. Most especially after her dance number during the Halloween Party. She was already very much disliked in her class and the dance number only added up to that. But Jessica didn't care. What was important to her was her own happiness. Nobody can ever buy her happiness. Only she herself could.

"_They may cheer when I'm around but once I turn my back, I bet my ass that they slander my name!"_ she said looking at the popular girls with cold, calculating, snake eyes. Jessica's mind and heart were filled with hate but when she looked out the window, she saw Jaebum and his friends walk by. This made her heart flutter and made her sigh. The teacher was discussing something but all that was on her mind was Jaebum and his mad writing/speaking skills.

Like Jessica, Jaebum and his friends weren't popular either. Neither were they as hated as Jessica but they weren't popular and most of the time it was just the three of them, much like Jessica, Yoona, and Seohyun. Jessica is the most known amongst the three because of her dancing and her involvement in the Student Council.

In order to keep her bad thoughts at bay, Jessica just thought about Jaebum. She thought about Jaebum and what it would be like to be his girlfriend. What kissing him would feel like and how his lips would taste. How he'd make her swoon with his deep, poetic words and sweet letters. They were both writers so she thought of flattering each other with highly articulate letters. She thought of this until nothing was coming into her mind anymore. She was on cloud nine with these thoughts.

But Jessica had to face the harsh reality that Jaebum probably didn't like her. Besides, she'd hear from his friends who were friends with her too that he eyed another senior. It broke her heart to know that, but blinded by infatuation, she denied that fact and continued to believe in her fantasies. That Jaebum liked her and they'd be together once.

**[song: "Butterfly" by G-Dragon]**

_Every time I come close to you_

_Every time I'm feeling you_

_Feel like I'm gonna dream_

_Every time I get butterflies_

_Check it _

Jessica stared long and hard at Jaebum who was chatting in a soft voice, most presumably about video games and anime. Though Jessica may not like those, she continued to admire every bit of Jaebum.

_Musimko haneureulbwa like_

_Ne utneun moseubeul darma_

_Yunanhi nunbusingeol baby_

Jaebum sort of felt Jessica staring at him from the classroom so he looked back and waved at her, giving his signature shy-boy smile. Jessica pretended that she wasn't thinking of him and gave a friendly wave.

_Nae harusok neorangman_

_Romantic han drama_

_Nal ulgo utge hajyeo _

_No no no_

So lost in fantasy was Jessica that she didn't hear the bell ring. She only realized that it had rung when Seohyun tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey! It's recess time! Come on! Let's hang out outside!" Seohyun stood up and grabbed her can of cookies. Yoona saw this and got excited so she followed Seohyun out of the classroom. Jessica rubbed her eyes and yawned before standing up to follow her friends. As they were walking outside, they ran into Jaebum and his friends. Seohyun elbowed Jessica who was in between. Jaebum noticed Jessica and called her attention.

"Hey Jessica!" he called. Jessica whipped around, her heart beating really, really fast.

"Yeah?" Jessica answered with wide eyes and battering eyelashes.

"The prom's this February, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. But that's months from now."

"I know. But I just want to be prepared." Jessica was so sure he was going to ask her out. "I actually waited for you. I waited for you to come out of your classroom so I could ask you something."

"What are you gonna ask?"

"Can you come here for a second." Jessica followed Jaebum. Jaebum led her to a small corner. Jaebum stood with his arms crossed. Jessica just stared at him and asked him again what he wanted.

"You see, the prom's coming up and I still don't have a date." this really made Jessica's eyes widen in wonder. She swore he was going to ask her to be his date!

"Yes…" she said with hope-filled eyes.

"Will you be my date to the prom?" asked Jaebum with one hand behind his neck. The reaction from Jessica, however, was the opposite of what she was really feeling. Instead of jumping with joy, she hurriedly ran from his side with her mouth covered. She was in utter disbelief. Jaebum walked after her and as Jessica leaned helplessly on the post, he caught up with her and Jessica asked him to explain himself.

"Why?" Jessica asked still in shock. "Why me? I mean, out of all the beautiful girls here in school…why me?"

"Well it's because I'm really comfortable with you…" replied Jaebum. This made Jessica's heart flutter faster and faster each second. She just stared at him and he stared back at her. Jessica began to think about whether to tell her friends about this or not.

_Jamdeulji motaneundae_

_Ne ireumeul bulleoboneunde_

_Nan sujubundeut gogaereul dolligo (no matter what)_

_Ireoke johahaneunde _

_Jomcheoreom gorummal ttelsuga eobseo_

_(You don't know how much I love you)_

_Every time I come close to you _

_Every time I'm kissing you_

_Feel like I'm gonna dream, every time_

_I get butterflies_

"In what sense?" asked Jessica frantically. Her head was swimming and butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach.

"In the sense that we're both in the writing club and that you're a really nice girl…so what do you say?" asked Jaebum with a small smile. Jessica smiled shyly at him and said…

_Beautiful girl_

_Musimko ttangeul bwa like_

_Neoui ileum segeulja_

_Neomuna seolleneungeol baby_

_Ne jageun sangcheo hana_

_Naega amulge haejugae _

_Naui sarang geudae _

"Yes." Jessica said weakly with a smile. Jaebum smiled at her and rushed off to tell the Prom Head about his plans. Jessica was left shaking and smiling, out of her element. She weirdly walked back to their classroom. The thought of Jaebum liking a senior disappeared from her mind and she diverted her attention to herself. She began to think that Jaebum liked her and was just using that senior as an excuse because he was too shy.

_Yo neon machi nabicheoreom_

_Kkocheul chaja naradanineun jeo aicheoreom_

_Sunsuhan nunmangeureul meogeumgo (no matter what) Yeah_

_Haneulhaneul georineun momjit_

_Areunareunhan ni nunbit_

_Na eotteokhae dwaennabwa _

_(You're the only one girl, one love, one life, yeah)_

Jessica reached the classroom in a daze. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was floating. Seohyun and Yoona noticed the very weird smile on her face, like something just happened. They looked at her weirdly and asked her what was wrong.

"What's up with the face, Sica?" asked Seohyun.

"Yeah. It's like you just drank something." Yoona commented.

"Huh? Oh! I got a small can of coffee from the vendo machine, that's why. I'm kinda high right now because of the coffee." Jessica lied. She didn't want her friends to tease her with Jaebum so she kept it secret. Seohyun was oblivious to her game but she wasn't able to hide from Yoona. Yoona knew what she was thinking but preferred to keep mum about it.

"Coffee…" Yoona said. "Since when have you been into coffee?"

"Since now…" Jessica said with a dreamy yet confused smile on her face. Yoona smirked and raised an eyebrow.

_Every time I come close to you_

_Every time I'm loving you_

_Feel like I'm gonna dream_

_Every time I get butterflies_

_Naega yaksokhalge_

_Yaksokhange_

_Eogeutnadeora soktage_

_Just another day_

_Da toccata_

_Mwo ireokhe bokjaphae_

_Neon namjareul motmitneunde _

_Sarangdo yeongwonhal su inneunde_

_Milgo danggineungeon waehaneunde_

_Jom deo soljik hage gul sun eomneunde_

The following days were a whirlwind for Jessica. She thought of nothing but Jaebum and how he asked her out. She thought of how he said it and replayed the scene in her head over and over again. It gave her the butterflies and she found herself smiling alone often. Sometimes, she'd think she was crazy but if crazy meant feeling this good, then she'd rather be locked up in a mental hospital!

_Nae nuneul bwa_

_You see my eyes_

_See my lips_

_You listen to my heart_

_Deullindamyeon daphaejwo_

_Nae bore kiss_

_Nae chu heart_

_Yes that be all I say_

_Neowa nae solleimman gadeuk hadamyeonun _

_Urin never ever a breaker_

_Trust me, I'll make love (to you)_

One sunny Friday afternoon, after school, Jessica was on Facebook chatting with her friends and posting messages when she received a private message from someone.

Park Jaebum.

_Jessica, I__'m sorry but we can't be partners at the Prom : (. When I asked the prom head about it, he said you already had a partner and I already had one, too so our plan won't push through. Thanks for accepting, though. _

Jessica's heart broke at the news. She wanted to cry but she found it very shallow so instead, she let the ice princess side out and stayed strong.

_Awww__…that's kinda sad. But I have one question for you. Out of all the beautiful girls in school, you chose one who's nowhere near them! Why me? Out of all the pretty girls around you! _

Jessica was actually just trying to get Jaebum to say he liked her.

Jaebum's reply took a while so Jessica decided to go down to get a drink. When she came back, Jaebum had replied already.

_Because there__'s this girl from my batch that I really like. I just don't have the guts to ask her out and you're the next best thing so I just asked you out. Thanks though._

Jessica's heart broke at what Jaebum sent her. She wanted to reply but Jaebum went offline and her dreams were just crushed. She felt really hurt, especially when he said that he chose her because he didn't have the guts to ask his crush out. Oh so that means if he had the guts, he wouldn't ask her out. Jessica felt used. Kind of like something to fill in the gap. But at the same time, Jessica felt happy because Jaebum chose her, at least, to be his date. She meant something to him because he wouldn't ask her. And although Jessica wanted Jaebum to be her boyfriend, she wasn't really allowed to have a boyfriend yet so she just settled for infatuation. She'd rather dream about Jaebum and them being together, at least in her dreams.

_Every time I come close to you_

_Every time I'm feeling you_

_Feel like I'm gonna dream every time_

_I get butterflies…_


	3. The High School Ball

Fast Since Jaebum asked Jessica out, he had noticed that Jessica had been acting really strange lately. Whenever they'd run into each other, Jessica would say hi in a weird manner either with a weird tone or a weird smile. And whenever he'd talk to her, she'd answer in incoherent sentences.

On a lighter note, the High School Ball that the Student Council proposed would push through that December and Jessica was excited for it. Especially when she heard that Jaebum would come. Though she felt really insulted and still couldn't get over the words Jaebum told her, she still loved him. Love is a strong word but to a never-been-kissed, never-been-loved, and never-had-a-boyfriend-let-alone-a-suitor girl like Jessica Jung, love is being asked out by your crush to the prom. She began to plan like crazy. She planned her hair, her makeup and most importantly, her dance number. Of course, knowing that Jaebum would be there, she wouldn't miss the chance to let him see her dancing. She knew he loved her dancing and he'd tease her. Though he was being sarcastic at times, she loved it when he teased her. It gave her a sense of satisfaction, made her feel really content about herself. Like he was her boyfriend but he wasn't.

A few hours before the party, the Student Council made tons of preparations. From decorations, to the photo wall, to the games, to organizing the order of performers (Jessica included), the Student Council took care of it all. Jessica then walked to a small area and contemplated there. She began to think about Jaebum to fuel herself for her performance later on.

"Okay Jessica, remember, the first verse goes…" she rambled to herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped out of her skin and whipped around with hopes of it being Jaebum. Sadly, it was just Jonghyun.

"Hey! Whataya doing in the corner?" asked Jonghyun cheerfully. Jonghyun was always cheerful, rarely in a bad mood and if ever he was, he'd be smiling. Jonghyun waved childishly at Jessica and Jessica waved back.

"I'm just trying to…uhm…think." she said. Jonghyun placed his hands on her shoulders, rocking her back and forth. His touch was very warm, Jessica couldn't and wouldn't forget.

"What are you thinking about?" Jonghyun asked.

"Just…something. You'll see later!" Jessica answered sweetly.

"If you're dancing, let me know!"

"Yes!" Jessica squealed childishly. "I am gonna dance but keep quiet about it. It's a surprise. Not many people know that I'm dancing today!"

"Okayyy!" Jonghyun squealed back. Jonghyun was a bit effeminate but not exactly gay. He was neither gay nor guy. If you were to describe him, you'd say he's somewhere in between homosexual and metro sexual. Cause there's no denying the fact that Jonghyun is still somewhat appealing.

[LATER AT THE PARTY]

The party had already started. Everybody was dancing, talking, partying, and just plain having a good time. When it was time for Jessica's dance number, she ran to the back and hid there, waiting for the MC's call.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our next performer is someone you may not be familiar with. She's a quiet girl and is somewhat introverted but don't underestimate her because this girl's got talent. Without further ado, let's welcome, Ms. Jessica Jung!" the crowd cheered and clapped and as Jessica stepped out of the backstage, Jonghyun paid all his attention as he was excited to see his new found friend dance. Jessica paid no mind to Jonghyun, rather, she looked for Jaebum, the only reason she came to the party. She spotted him but he was busy chatting with his friends.

"_I don't get it! They introduced me but he's still not looking. Oh well, I'm just gonna have to make him look."_ Jessica thought.

**[song: "Kiss" by Sandara Park"]**

_I just wanna kiss_

_I never wanna miss_

_Deojarithage one more time_

_Naseum eur gajyeoga_

_Dying for your kiss_

_I never wanna miss_

_Nae ipseureul gajyeoga_

_2NE1_

Jessica stepped out in a bright pink top and Daisy Dukes and black strapped high heels. Everyone cheered for Jessica as she danced to the first verse. Jonghyun was mesmerized while Jaebum-whom Jessica was really seeking-just stood there and chatted with his friends, just like before. In order to get his attention, she danced more energetically.

_Baby boy_

_Wae hangsang halmali geurae mana dapdaphan_

_Baby boy _

_Saranghandago baekhal geonala_

_I'm not a baby girl_

_Ni senggak boda nuni gaman ppal la_

_U rin mae il hangsang je ja rireul dora _

_Dodeche neon wae nal geureohke do molla _

Finally, Jaebum looked her way and smiled. Jessica saw him and smiled slightly. She wad distracted that she nearly made a mistake. Good thing she was able to regain her focus and move on smoothly to the next part.

_Baby boy_

_Geu jasin game ban haet deon nargieokhae_

_My baby boy _

_Ni tempo saenggak boda neomu jiruhae_

_I'm your baby girl_

_He eo jirttaen eo jjae geuri son man heun deuneunji_

_Kkoc dabal do joh go ban ji do joh jiman_

_I guess you'll just never know_

_Seodu reujima_

_Ttabunhan yaegi hajima_

_Eojjeom geureokhae dojarchamni_

_Hoksi namja matni_

_Mi so jit jima_

_Neomu ttabun ha janha_

_Nun eur gam go jigeum dagawa_

_Just get it, get it _

The cheers grew louder as Jessica upped her energy level. Jaebum's simple smile really did a lot for her. It gave her so much energy that she nearly exaggerated the entire dance. Jessica was just dancing sexily and she noticed someone staring at her…

It wasn't Jaebum.

It was Jonghyun.

Jonghyun. Her somewhat nerdy somewhat quiet guy friend was staring at her weirdly while she was dancing. She noticed it and felt awkward but decided to pass it off. She didn't want her admiration for Jaebum to fade so she just thought of him while dancing. This accelerated her energy level even more.

_I just wanna kiss_

_I never wanna miss_

_Deojarithage one more time_

_Naseum eur gajyeoga_

_Dying for your kiss_

_I never wanna miss_

_Nae ipseureul gajyeoga_

_Hurry up, you let it touch _

_Jeoldae man eun geor barajineun anha_

_Hurry up, you let it touch_

_Baby o neul man keum man je bal_

Jessica readied herself for the bridge of the song which had a somewhat heavy dance routine. With all the energy in her and the crowd's unwavering enthusiasm, she moved with grace and passion and danced like Jaebum was right in front of her, staring at her sexiness, exuded only when she dances.

_Uh uh uh uh CL_

_Come on and let my body bounce_

_Naecham eul seong eursi heom hajima_

_Nan oneul do about to lose control_

_Nae simjang eunamchi dynamite_

_Tik tik tok tok siganeun go fast_

_Please please don't stop_

_Ibameun more last_

_Babo gati utneun ne mo seubi_

_Nan chamgi ga himdeuro killing me_

_If you want me, then let's go_

_Chumchuneun naema eumnun disco_

_Neon machi nae juwireur maemdola_

_Mal eops I hul jjeog ga beorineun UFO_

_Seodu reujima_

_Ttabunhan yaegi hajima_

_Eojjeom geureokhae dojarchamni_

_Hoksi namja matni_

_Mi so jit jima_

_Neomu ttabun ha janha_

_Nun eur gam go jigeum dagawa_

_Just get it, get it _

Jessica was exhausted so she didn't finish the song. She stopped at one point and posed, eliciting pandemonium amongst her classmates and schoolmate present. She stepped down from the stage and was met by congratulations. Key, Jonghyun, Seohyun, and Yoona who were seated up front when she danced ran to her and hugged her, congratulating and thanking her for a wonderful performance

"My God!" Yoona exclaimed. "You were so great up there! How come you don't show that much enthusiasm in class?"

"Well because in class, there's no one to show enthusiasm for!" Jessica said, referring to Jaebum who was a senior. Seohyun and Yoona giggled with Jessica while Jonghyun and Key stared at her for they had no idea who they were talking about.

"You know what, Jessica?" Jonghyun crept up on her. Jessica felt the chills and removed his hands from her shoulders.

"Woah! No need to get touchy, man. But what?"

"You were so hot there!" Jonghyun said with a Cheshire cat grin on his face, showing his beautiful teeth (which actually had Invisalign Braces). "I couldn't take my eyes off you!"

"Are you for real or are you just playing around with me?" asked Jessica.

"I'm for real! Why would I kid around with you?" Jonghyun replied. Jessica smirked at him and laughed. She felt weird but she just let it slip. After all she "had" Jaebum. Key noticed that Jessica kept looking to the direction of Jaebum and his friends.

"What's with that place and you keep looking there, Jessica?" asked Key.

"Huh? Oh! Nothing! Just trying to stretch my neck." Jessica said. Jaebum looked really handsome even with ordinary clothes on. Jessica just wanted to stare at him.

_I just wanna kiss_

_I never wanna miss_

_Deojarithage one more time_

_Naseum eur gajyeoga_

_Dying for your kiss_

_I never wanna miss_

_Nae ipseureul gajyeoga_

_Hurry up, you let it touch _

_Jeoldae man eun geor barajineun anha_

_Hurry up, you let it touch_

_Baby o neul man keum man je bal_

_Let's break this down_

_Sarangeun Dangerous_

_Nae nunbichun neomu poisonous_

_Jigeum heundeullineun 2 of us_

_Hajiman it just feels so good_

_Sarangeun Dangerous_

_Nae ipseureul neomu poisonous_

_Jigeum heundeullineun 2 of us_

_We dangerous_

_In danger, danger, danger_

_Sarangeun Dangerous_

_Nae nunbichun neomu poisonous_

_Jigeum heundeullinuen 2 of us_

_Hajiman it just feels so good_

_Sarangeun dangerous_

_Nae ipseureul neomu poisonous_

_Jigeum heundeullineun 2 of us_

_We dangerous_

_In danger, danger, danger, danger_

Jessica wanted to go near Jaebum but couldn't find the courage to do so. He was supposed to be her prom date.

That night upon reaching home, Jessica logged on to her Facebook account. That same night, Jaebum was online. She was very excited and nervous when she saw his name on the list of people online. She really wanted to talk to him but her heart was beating faster than usual, preventing her from doing so.

"_Hey, you danced in front of hundreds of people! If you can do that, you can definitely talk to this guy."_ Jessica clicked his name and started a conversation.

_Jessica: Hey, did you see my dance earlier tonight?_

_Jaebum: Yeah I did. But I wasn't able to watch the entire show because my friends and I were busy._

_Jessica: Awww..: (_

_Jaebum: Yeah. Sorry._

_Jessica: But please don't tease me anymore._

_Jaebum: I won't tease you anymore. I've grown tired of it._

_Jaebum Park is now offline._

Jaebum went offline all of a sudden and it gave Jessica this feeling that she annoyed him with her childish antics, all of which were sad attempts to get his attention. Well, she got his attention, not a good one that is.

When will Jaebum be Jessica's?


	4. The Prom

Let's fast forward to 2 months after the December High School Ball and the Winter Break. So Jessica and Jaebum had grown awkward with each other. They rarely said hi, let alone noticed each other but Jessica still liked Jaebum a lot. Whenever they'd cross paths, Jessica would do her aegyo and oftentimes when she was with her friends and they'd be listening to music, she'd sing the lyrics out loud whenever Jaebum, Nickchun and Chansung would pass by. Nickchun and Chansung would give them weird looks or say hi to them but Jaebum remained indifferent to Jessica's attempts to get his attention. If she could, she'd dance in the middle just for Jaebum to notice her. It broke her heart to know that Jaebum had stopped talking to her whereas when they were just starting the Writing Club, she and Jaebum were inseparable.

So a few hours before the prom, Jessica was lying down listening to music while thinking of what Jaebum would look like later on. How he'd do his hair and how he'd wear his tie. All of which she thought of. Jessica was a matter of fact so infatuated with Jaebum that he started to become candy to her. When you eat candy, the sugar boosts your energy level, making you do things with a huge amount of gusto. That's how Jessica felt whenever she'd think of Jaebum. When Jaebum would cross her mind, she'd jump around, dance, do aegyo, dress up among others. But then, when she'd think of Jaebum's senior crush, she'd listen to sad music and act as though she and Jaebum were a couple and he cheated on her with that senior girl.

When it was 4:00 pm, she got up and took a shower. Refusing to look girly, she just slipped on the red long gown that her mom borrowed from her friend and combed her hair a bit. Her mother saw the very haggard look that Jessica was wearing and demanded that she put some make up on.

"This is the prom you're attending, Jessica Jung! I want you to fix yourself now!" her mother demanded.

"Come on, ma? What's the use of looking pretty? It's not like I'm gonna win the Prom Princess award. Besides, I'm not competing for that so why does it matter!" Jessica has a point, though. She wasn't going to the prom to look pretty and bag some awards. She was going to the prom to see Jaebum and stalk him, act cute in front of him and get him to look her in the eye.

"Why are you being like that?" Jessica's mother yelled. "Why is it that you're 15 years old and you still don't care about your appearance? What do you want other people to call you? A witch? A bum? A homeless girl? Look at yourself? I've been telling you time and time over to dress appropriately and brush your hair."

"Well I did brush my hair!"

"But why is it so limp and lifeless!" Jessica's mom pulled Jessica's chair closer to her and fixed her daughter up. Jessica was frowning the whole time her mother was dolling her up for the prom.

Once her mom had finished, Jessica's frown sank. She was dissatisfied with her look but like she said, she wasn't after the looks, just Jaebum, so she just stood up and thanked her mom sarcastically. Her mom then took some pictures of her (which she hated) and led her to the car.

"What time should I pick you up?" asked Jessica's mom.

"Some eleven or so? I don't want to stay there for long. I think I've got nothing to do there." replied Jessica.

"Okay."

They reached the hotel and Jessica looked at it with bored eyes. Her mom bade her goodbye and kissed her before she stepped down. She saw the hotel and shrugged. She lifted the slit end of her red gown and entered the hotel. There she saw Yuri and Nicole Jung standing at the lobby. She wasn't friends with Nicole Jung (hated her actually) but since Yuri was there, she tried to warm up to them.

"Hey!" greeted Yuri.

"Hi there! God you look pretty!" Jessica complimented. Yuri who was dressed in a magenta cocktail dress, smiled and thanked her. Jessica tried to be civil by saying hi to Nicole Jung who reciprocated the greeting in order to appear polite, despite the two not liking each other. Just then, Yuri's mom saw them and had a camera with her so she decided to take their picture.

"The three of you, compress! I'll take your picture!" Yuri's mom put the camera close to her eye and tried to get a good shot of the three. Yuri was in the middle while Jessica stayed on her left and Nicole stayed on her right. The two girls smiled awkwardly because neither wanted to have a picture with each other. Yuri and Nicole checked it out but Jessica walked away and waited for her date, I mean, friends.

Seohyun arrived first. Seohyun was dressed in a short black number, black long sleeves and a floral print skirt which was black and white. The upper part had a big ribbon on it. Seohyun looked prettier than her usual self in school. Seohyun and Jessica waited for Yoona at the lobby and while doing that, they took pictures of themselves. A few minutes later, Yoona arrived and Seohyun and Jessica greeted her with hugs and compliments. Yoona wore a gown that was gray and black. The top part was black while the bottom part was gray with the ends decorated with flowers. Yoona pulled her camera out and took self-cams with her friends.

At around 5:45, Jaebum arrived, looking good and cold, as usual. When Jessica saw him, she pulled Seohyun and began to do aegyo. Yoona knew why Jessica was acting that way.

"Seobaby~" Jessica said. "Let's go to the bathroom. Please~" Jessica used her fake voice. Seohyun laughed at her, not knowing what her act was about.

"Hey! It's time to register! Let's go upstairs." Yoona said. Jessica, Yoona, and Seohyun ran up the stairs to write their names and get their floral brooches. After registering, the three sat on the couch and took more pictures. Jessica noticed Jaebum falling in line and although she refused to look at him because she felt 'played', at least by her imagination, she couldn't stop glancing at him. Nonetheless, she tried to act cute for him by taking aegyo shots of herself with her friends.

"Sica!" Yoona whispered. "Jaebum looked our way. He looked at you and he fixed his tie." she giggled. Jessica stared at Yoona coldly and turned away.

"Let him be." she said. "For as long as I have you, I don't need no boys!" she took more pictures of herself and her friends.

When the clock struck 6, the Prom Head ordered everyone to fall in line. Seohyun's partner was Taemin while Yoona's partner was Daesung. Jessica's partner-Taecyeon-was still not around, making Jessica really happy. She looked Jaebum's way and saw that his partner was still not around. Jessica sighed a sigh of hope.

"Remember what we practiced at the basketball court! Three steps then turn to the direction of your table!" the Prom Head spoke. All the seniors and juniors were in line that Jessica couldn't find Key nor Jonghyun. She so wanted and needed to talk to them. After minutes of waiting, Taecyeon finally arrived. Jessica scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"What the fuck took you so long?" asked Jessica angrily.

"Hey I live far away from here! Good thing you guys haven't walked yet." he said.

"Fuck you. I will never talk to you!" Jessica grunted under her breath. Taecyeon didn't hear it but he knew Jessica as someone who would curse under her breath so he just shrugged it off.

The march finally began! The first line of seniors and juniors walked the red carpet and stopped at one point to have their pictures taken before heading to the direction of their tables. All the students from the senior and junior department did this. When Jessica and her group were seated at table number 1 (luckily, she and Yoona were seated at the same table), she began to stalk Jaebum. She saw that Jaebum's partner was Hye Lim. It pleased her to know that he was with someone she knew quite well and had good vibes of. But the thought of Jaebum and the senior he liked being together killed Jessica inch-by-inch. The fact that she would never be his murdered her soul.

It was during the entrance that she spotted Key and Jonghyun. Key's partner was Amber. Amber was a really good friend of Jessica's and she was looking to have fun with them as Yoona told her before that she would leave early. Jonghyun, however, was paired with Yoobin and Jessica knew Yoobin didn't like Jonghyun. Yoobin had a reputation of being late so as usual, Yoobin was late and Jonghyun had to walk the red carpet alone with gifts and a bunch of flowers. To whom were those for? Well, to let you in on a little secret, Jonghyun was courting a senior, Victoria Song to be specific. Victoria Song didn't like him but Jonghyun, the ever optimistic and light hearted Jonghyun, still pursued him. Please give this guy his first girlfriend!

Just so you know, Jonghyun and Jessica had gotten closer already. They had become really good friends and they had spent a lot of time together. If you're asking if Jonghyun felt something for Jessica or vice versa, no. Jonghyun is purusing Victoria Song as I've mentioned and Jessica…well, you know what's on Jessica's mind. All his touchy-feeliness had no effect on Jessica. They could hold hands and not feel anything.

By the time everyone had finished walking down the carpet, Jessica was already sleepy and bored. She acted all feisty and annoyed, especially at Taecyeon. She thought wrongly that night. Her mind blamed Taecyeon for not making Jaebum her partner. It was the Prom Head's idea, not Taecyeon's. Taecyeon actually wanted Yoona to be his partner but since the Prom Head paired him up with Jessica, there was pretty much nothing he could do about it. Taecyeon just tried to play cool and ride along with it while Jessica was hot headed and irritated. She wanted Jaebum if not Jaebum, Jonghyun.

After the red carpet, the prayer and the speech followed. After the prayer and the speech, dinner followed. After dinner, the waltz dance followed. But let's focus on the waltz dance because Jaebum was there. Jessica's eyes widened when she saw Jaebum. She had been stalking Jaebum during practices, lying to her mother that she needed to attend the Writing Club meetings but her purpose was only to watch Jaebum dance and try to get his attention. She watched him dance with his partner Sandara Park. Jessica ignored the other dancers, even though her friend Yuri and Yuri's boyfriend Minho were there. She noticed that Jaebum refused to hold Sandara's hand and hips. Jessica's mind began to run.

"_He's not holding her hips. Maybe he doesn't want me to see him holding someone else because he's reserving his touch for me…aww…how sweet!" _Jessica got all giddy but shook the thought off.

After the waltz, the video presentations were shown. The Juniors had theirs and the Seniors had theirs. Jessica, Yoona, and Seohyun wished that Tiffany were still with them. Tiffany went back to America with her family.

As soon as the video presentations were done, the awarding began. Awarding for the best dressed, prom king, queen…etc. Here were the results:

Best Dressed Female: Sandara Park

Best Dressed Male: Choi Seung Hyun (TOP)

Male Star of the Night: Kwon Ji Young (G-Dragon)

Female Star of the Night: Choi Sulli

Sweetest Couple: Jo Kwon and Son Ga In

Prom Prince: Lee Jin Ki (Onew)

Prom Princess: Min Sun Ye

Prom King: Choi Seung Hyun (TOP)

Prom Queen: Park Bom

Of course, the prom royalties must dance as soon as they're crowned. So as they were dancing, Jessica was just staring at Jaebum and chatting with Yoona. Yoona on the other hand ignored the prom royalties and smelled bias.

"That's what you get for having many friends and loads of makeup!" Yoona whispered. Jessica snickered at how nasty Yoona's thoughts were. They hated Min Sun Ye so much.

"I'm prettier than her!" Jessica whispered conceitedly. Yoona and Sica gave each other high fives.

Now that the royalties had finished dancing, it was time for the social dancing. Social dancing is the part where they party like crazy and just have a good time. So all the juniors and all the seniors flocked to the dance floor, including Yoona and Jessica. Jessica stalked Jaebum and found him just standing in the dark corner, talking about probably video games again with his friends. She rolled her eyes and looked for Key and Jonghyun. Key and Jonghyun were just yelling around and taking pictures. Jessica found them and embraced them.

"God I missed you so much!" she told Jonghyun. Jonghyun laughed at her and looked at her.

"You missed me?"

"Yeah. We didn't get to talk earlier, you know!" Jaebum cackled and patted her head. Suddenly, Key yanked Jessica's arm.

"I really want to dance with her." Key pointed at Park Ji Yeon. Park Ji Yeon was a new student that Key was really good friends with and really wanted to date. Ji Yeon only saw him as a friend and never wanted to have anything to do with Key in terms of relationships.

"Then go for it!" Key nervously swallowed and asked for Ji Yeon's hand. The two danced and Jessica could see Key's face brightly glowing red from where she was. She and Jonghyun laughed this off. Yoona ran to their side and took pictures with them. Seohyun did, too.

"Hey Jonghyun! Aren't you gonna pursue Victoria Song tonight?" teased Yoona.

"Yeah. See she's there! Go to her and ask her out!" Jessica urged him. Jonghyun, the ever so carefree Jonghyun, walked up to Victoria and asked if he could dance. Yes, they danced but only for a short while as Victoria felt really awkward. Jonghyun didn't want to pressure her so he decided to let her go.

"Wait!" Jonghyun yelled. Victoria spun around and looked at him. "Let's take a picture together!" Victoria couldn't say no and smiled. She stood close to him and he took a picture of them together. That was the happiest time of Jonghyun's life. Victoria then walked away from him and stayed with her friends.

"God I wish Tiffany were here!" Yoona said.

"Yeah I know!" Jessica replied. Seohyun was busy taking pictures.

"Hey! The two of you! Come here!" Jessica and Yoona walked up to Seohyun and took pictures with her. Yoona's cellphone began to ring.

"Hello? Mom? Oh okay! You're there? Okay. Bye!" Yoona hung up. "Girls, sorry but I really have to go. My mom's down there already!"

"Aww. Okay. See you on Monday!" Jessica and Seohyun hugged her and proceeded to party. Yoona left.

Sweet music then began to play. This was the moment that Jessica dreaded the most. The couples got together and danced really close to each other. Jessica spun around, looked around, observed. She saw no sign of Jaebum…that's because she was looking behind her. A great shock was what she received when she saw Hye Lim and Jaebum dancing really sweetly. Hye Lim's head was even on Jaebum's shoulder and this made her want to yelp in jealousy. Feeling really annoyed and desperate, she pulled UEE in and danced with her. She danced with UEE in the same fashion as Hye Lim and Jaebum.

"I hate this night, UEE!" she uttered in UEE's shoulder.

"I hate it too. Why do you hate it?" asked UEE.

"Because…"Jessica tried to come up with an alibi. "Because a guy friend of mine outside of the school and I fought because of this…" she said. She was actually pertaining to Jaebum but there was no real fight and Jaebum wasn't her guy friend.

"Oh. So is that why you hate this night?"

"Yeah. I was supposed to skip this prom for him but…you get the deal."

"Oh. Okay." answered UEE.

"Bout you? Kevin Woo won't dance with you?"

"Yeah. He's being really cold and gay."

"Ouch. That's the harsh part."

"Yeah."

"Say I gotta go somewhere. Catch you later!" Jessica ran away from UEE and tried not to look. But she couldn't help it. The urge to stalk Jaebum was getting stronger and stronger. To fill in this urge, she called Seohyun.

"Seobaby~ Seobaby~" she called out. Seohyun tapped her shoulder from behind.

"Ah~ Seobaby~" Jessica said with her aegyo voice and hugged her friend like she was gonna die tomorrow.

"Is something wrong? Why are you acting so weird?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. It's just that…crap!" Jessica looked at Jaebum and saw him dancing with the senior he liked. Kim Jung Ah. "Jesus…" Seohyun was being called by her other friends so she went to them while Jessica just wandered around on the dance floor like a lost child. She felt a hand grab hers and this made her jump in fright. It was Jonghyun.

"Wanna dance?" asked Jonghyun. Jessica was more than willing to say yes. The two danced for a short time until Jessica broke away and ran to their table in (fake) tears. Jonghyun followed her and sat with her.

"Dammit what's wrong?" he asked.

"A guy friend and I fought."

"Is he from here?"

"No he's from outside." Jessica buried her face deep into her handkerchief. That's when Jonghyun just stared at her. He figured her had feelings for her but then he tried to shake it off. He didn't have feelings for her.

Or did he?

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay. You'll solve that problem. Trust me." Jonghyun tapped her shoulder and smiled.

After a few hours of taking pictures and eye-stalking Jaebum, Jessica's strict mother called.

"Mom? Why are you calling?" asked Jessica.

"Jessica! It's eleven! Come down now!"

"Mom! I said 12!"

"You said eleven. I'm here now so come down or I'll come and drag you down here!"

"Fine!" Jessica was starting to really get angry. She collected her things and hugged Seohyun. "Tell Jonghyun I said goodbye and thanks for the help." Jessica rushed down the stairs, angrier than ever. Her mother just cut her stalking. She was this close to being asked out by Jaebum but then her mother called. When she got down, she entered the car and refused to talk to her mother. The silence remained till they got home.

It was 11:30. They reached the house at 11:30. Jessica's mom left her in her room in order to go to her own room to sleep. Jessica locked herself in her room and turned the lights off. She cried and cried and cried and cried. She couldn't sleep a wink.

Why couldn't she sleep?

She thought of Jaebum and his partner Hye Lim. She thought of Jaebum and his crush Jung Ah. And she thought of how her mother ruined the prom for her. She had already gathered the courage to say hi to Jaebum but her mother called. Because of that, she laid on the bed and stayed awake till morning listening to this song.

**[song: "Lies" by Big Bang]**

_Yeobeoseyo?_

_Yeobeoseyo?_

_Yeah! Love is pain_

_Dedicated to all my broken hearted people_

_Once old a flame, just scream my name _

_And I'm so sick of love songs._

_I hate damn love songs_

_Moment of ours_

_Geo-jit-mal! _

_Neuj-eun bam bi-ga nae-ryeo-wa neor de-ryeo-wa_

_Jeoj-eun gi-eog kkeut-e dwi-cheog-yeo na_

_Neo eobs-i jar sar su iss-da-go_

_Da-jim hae-bwa-do eo-jjeor su eobs-da-go_

_Mos-ha-neun sur-do ma-si-go_

_Sog-ta-neun mam bam-sae chae-wo-bwa-dosirh-eo neo eobs-neun ha-ru-neun gir-eo bir-eo_

_Je-bar ij-ge hae-dar-ra-go (-geo-jis-mar-i-ya)_

_Neo eobs-neun nae-gen us-eum-i bo-i-ji anh-a_

_Nun-mur-jo-cha go-i-ji anh-a_

_Deo-neun sar-go sip-ji anh-a_

_Yeah_

_Yeos-gat-ae_

_Yeor-bad-ge_

_Ni saeng-gag-e_

_Dor-a-beo-rir-geos gat-ae_

_Bo-go sip-eun-de_

_Bor su-ga eobs-de_

_Mo-du kkeut-nass-de_

_I'll be right here_

_I'm so sorry but I love you da geo-jis-mar_

_I-ya mor-rass-eo i-je-ya ar-ass-eo ne-ga pir-yo-hae_

_I'm so sorry but I love you nar-ka-ro-un mar_

_Hwas-gim-e na-do mo-reu-ge neor tteo-na-bo-naess-ji-man_

_I'm so sorry but I love you da geo-jis-mar_

_I'm so sorry but I love you_

_I'm so sorry but I love you_

_(I love you more and more)_

_I'm so sorry but I love you na-reur tteo-na_

_Cheon-cheon-hi ij-eo-jur-rae_

_Nae-ga a-pa-har su iss-ge_

_Geu-daer wi-hae-seo bur-reo-wass-deon nae mo-deun geor da ba-chin no-rae_

_(A-ma sa-ram-deur-eun mo-reu-gess-jyo)_

_Nan hon-ja,, geu a-mu-do a-mu-do mor-rae_

_(Geu-rae nae-ga haess-deon mar-eun geo-jis-mar)_

_Hor-ro nam-gyeo-jin oe-tor-i_

_Geu sog-e he-me-neun nae kkor-i_

_Ju-meo-ni sog-e kko-gis-kko-gis_

_Jeob-eo-dun i-byeor-eur hyang-han jjog-ji (hey)_

_(Neon eo-dis-na-yo neor bu-reu-neun seub-gwan-do)_

_Nan dar-ra-jir-rae_

_I-jen da us-eo-neom-gir-ge_

_I'm so sorry but I love you da geo-jis-mar_

_I-ya mor-rass-eo i-je-ya ar-ass-eo ne-ga pir-yo-hae_

_I'm so sorry but I love you nar-ka-ro-un mar_

_Hwas-gim-e na-do mo-reu-ge neor tteo-na-bo-naess-ji-man_

_I'm so sorry but I love you da geo-jis-mar_

_I'm so sorry but I love you_

_(I love you more and more)_

_I'm so sorry but I love you na-reur tteo-na_

_Cheon-cheon-hi ij-eo-jur-rae_

_Nae-ga a-pa-har su iss-ge_

_Oh oh oh oh oh_

_Mo-deun-ge kkum-i-gir_

_Oh oh oh_

_I-geos-bakk-e an-doe-neun na-ra-seo_

_Drop that thing..._

_A-jig-do neo-reur mos ij-eo_

_A-ni pyeong-saeng-eur ga-do (yeah)_

_Jug-eo-seo-kka-ji-do_

_Nae-ga jun sang-cheo a-mur-eoss-neun-ji_

_Mi-an-hae a-mu-geos-do_

_Hae-jun-ge eobs-neun na-ra-seo_

_I'm so sorry but I love you da geo-jis-mar_

_I-ya mor-rass-eo i-je-ya ar-ass-eo ne-ga pir-yo-hae_

_I'm so sorry but I love you nar-ka-ro-un mar_

_Hwas-gim-e na-do mo-reu-ge neor tteo-na-bo-naess-ji-man_

_I'm so sorry but I love you da geo-jis-mar (but I love you)_

_I'm so sorry (so sorry) but I love you_

_(I love you more and more)_

_I'm so sorry but I love you na-reur tteo-na_

_Cheon-cheon-hi ij-eo-jur-rae_

_Nae-ga a-pa-har su iss-ge_

_Bye bye..._


	5. Next School Year

The school year ended wonderfully for everyone. Jessica, however, tried to forget about Jaebum. She tried to convince herself that there were better guys out there. She tried to indulge in the world of fandom by watching dramas over and over again until she developed a crush on the main actor. Although there were still some feelings for Jaebum, those feelings were very little and didn't matter that much to Jessica anymore. She was just enjoying her life.

Jaebum on the other hand, graduated from the school and entered a prestigious university. Jessica couldn't be any happier for him. She had finally come to terms with her Jaebum infatuation. She was no longer infatuated.

What happened during the summer? Well, Yuri, Minho, and Yoona went to Jessica's house; her friend Suzy came and slept over; she hung out with other friends and they went to America. That was Jessica's summer.

This is the last fast forward you're going to read because officially, the story begins.

[OCTOBER 15, 2010]

The seniors were practicing for their play for Theater Day. Theater Day is the day when the four high school levels prepare a drama that they will show on stage. For the seniors, Jessica's batch, it was a comedy play and it needed lots of effort because their mentor told them that it's harder to make people laugh than to make them cry. The leaders took that to heart and worked like crazy to make the play as funny as possible.

Since Jessica was quiet, she only had a small role there and that was the friend of the main character's daughter. That day, they were all practicing and the props were being sorted out. Yoona went home early so Jessica had no one to talk to. She meant to talk to Key but seeing that Key was busy with his other friends, she opted to talk to Jonghyun who was busy playing games on his laptop. Jessica often spotted Jonghyun with his laptop. She came to him and talked to him.

"Hey Jonghyun!" said Jessica. Jonghyun looked at her and smiled.

"Hello there!" Jonghyun smiled, his braces gleaming in the light. Jessica loved it when he smiled. His braces actually complimented his face instead of the other way around.

"What you up to?" Jessica asked. She knew what he was doing but she just needed someone to talk to as she was bored to death.

"Oh nothing. Just computer games. Where's Yoona?" asked Jonghyun.

"Yoona went home."

"Oooh. Okay." Jonghyun said. Jessica looked on and watched Jonghyun play Plants vs. Zombies. Jessica squealed with delight as the plants were just so cute.

"Oh~ That's so cute~" Jessica did aegyo in front of Jonghyun. Jonghyun smiled at her.

"You're so cute!" he said. Jessica smiled at him and stuck her tongue out.

"Haha. Thank you~" she used her aegyo voice. Jessica was kind of baffled because she never used her aegyo voice around Jonghyun before. That's when she started to think.

This was Jessica's deepest, darkest secret. She had slight feelings for Jonghyun. Ever since the day Jaebum ignored her completely at the prom and ever since the day Victoria Song rejected Jonghyun, they spent almost all their time together. They ate together, they walked together, they did everything together. They formed a really strong bond that Jessica thought was only friendship. They even had this "Pretend Boyfriend" and "Pretend Girlfriend" thing going on since the rejection. Jonghyun became really touchy since and come this school year he was even touchier. He was even touchier that the entire batch began pairing them up but they didn't care. They were just friends, that's what they knew. He placed his hands on her head, on her face, around her, on her thighs. Practically, they were touching a lot and it made Jessica feel really…strange. She never really thought she'd develop feelings for Jonghyun and now that it's here, there was pretty much nothing she could do about it. She feared the worst.

As for Jonghyun, Jessica didn't know how his mind worked. Whether Jonghyun had feelings for her or not, she didn't know. All she knew was she had feelings for her favorite actor, Lee Byung Hun.

"What do you say we drop the PBF/PGF thing, huh?" asked Jessica randomly. Jonghyun looked at her and turned his laptop off. He kept it and just stared at her. Jessica's eyes widened.

"Well you want me to tell the truth, Jessica Jung?" Jonghyun leaned forward. Jessica shrugged and waited for him to tell the truth. "You want me to make you my girlfriend? Because I really like you?"

"_What the fuck?" _was what Jessica thought. _"Jonghyun? Courting me? But we're friends! How could this happen?" _

"Uhm. I'm not really allowed to have a boyfriend yet. I mean, it's alright with my mom but if she finds out, she'll tell dad and you know my dad…" Jessica tried to explain.

"It's alright. Just imagine. We started out as friends and now we're gonna be in a relationship. Imagine that? I'll eat with you, I'll send you flowers and letters…" Jonghyun got all giddy. That was his feminine side that Jessica knew very well.

"That'd be nice but we're just friends. Besides, why me?"

"Because I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world. Victoria Song has got nothing on you!"

"Why didn't you flatter Victoria Song the way you're flattering me now?" Jessica started to suffocate. Her heart began to palpitate. She found herself fully attracted to Jonghyun now.

**[song: "Breathe" by Miss A]**

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae momi_

_Nig nal bol ttae mada ni senggak hal ttae mada_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi _

"Because Victoria Songs' got nothing on you!" Jonghyun said. He tried to wrap his arm around Jessica but Jessica felt really awkward and moved away from him. She grabbed a chair and sat on it. Jonghyun stood up from the floor and grabbed a chair, pulling it beside her.

"I mean look at you, you're so pretty. You're so sexy. You're a nice girl. You're a smart girl and most importantly, you've been my friend for a year so I know you well." he said with a smile. Jessica just stared at him. Braces and all.

Oh and I forgot to mention that Jonghyun already removed his Invisalign braces and replaced them with the metal ones. Sucks.

_No oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh oh oh oh_

Jessica and Jonghyun stared at each other and talked about each other more. Jessica knew Jonghyun's playful nature, thus making it hard for her to believe him. She didn't want to hurt herself by saying yes to him only to find out that he was just kidding around and playing with her. So she asked him again.

"Are you really serious about that? Because the way I see it it's as if you're just kidding me." Jessica said. Jonghyun shook his head and told her he was for real.

"I'm serious." Jonghyun said with his Cheshire cat grin.

_Boy you look so fine eojjeom neomu meotjyeo_

_Anbonun chok hae bojiman jakkuman nunul matchwo_

_Nan iron jogi omnunde noyege ppajyeosseo_

_Ni senggake manhago isseo nal guhaejwo oso_

_(Jjak sarangeun nan hagi shirunde) marul haebolkka _

_(Nodo nal jowahal got gateunde) yonggil naesseo _

_Gobaek haebolkka (yeah) shiltamyeon ojjona (yeah)_

_Ireokhe gidarida michigesso_

The clock struck 5:30 and the leaders dismissed the students. All were excited to go home. Jonghyun was still sitting at a really close distance to Jessica, waiting for her answer. Jessica just stared at the ground and back at him awkwardly.

"My mom's gonna come and pick me up." Jessica said. "She'll come here in her car." Jonghyun nodded and smiled.

"Would you like me to walk with you up to the gate?" Jessica took this as a friend's offer instead.

"Okay." she and Jonghyun walked together down the stairs, amidst the teasing of their batchmates. Jonghyun's light heartedness just breezed through them as he led Jessica to the first gate. Once they got there, he stood there waiting for Jessica's mom to come.

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae momi_

_Nig nal bol ttae mada ni senggak hal ttae mada_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi _

_Onurun nan kkok (kkok) gobaekul hagoya mal goragoI'm gonna let you know, baby I will let you knowSaenggak hadagado noman natanamyon momiDashi gudo borigo hal marun ijo borigo_

"So?" Jonghyun started. "Have you made up your mind?" he asked. Jessica just looked at him and shook her head.

"I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend" Jessica firmly stated. "Besides, we can be just friends. I mean, that's what we are. Just friends."

"We're higher than friends." Jonghyun's grin grew wider.

"Best friends, then." Jessica said.

"And what happens to best friends after some time?" Jonghyun asked.

"Hey! My parents weren't best friends before they became a couple!" Jessica said. She saw a red car park at the front gate and she knew it was her mom. Jessica gathered her things and bade Jonghyun goodbye.

"Let's just talk some other time, okay. But let me think about this thing first." Jessica said. "Until then, let's stay friends." Jessica waved goodbye one last time and ran to her car.

_(Jjak sarangeun nan hagi shirunde) marul haebolkka _

_(Nodo nal jowahal got gateunde) yonggil naesseo _

_Gobaek haebolkka (yeah) shiltamyeon ojjona (yeah)_

_Ireokhe gidarida michigesso_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae momi_

_Nig nal bol ttae mada ni senggak hal ttae mada_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi _

As soon as Jessica got home, she ate her oatmeal diet bars and exercised afterwards as she was on diet. Jessica wasn't fat and lost a lot of weight but since she was really conscious about her appearance, she decided to go outside and walk on the treadmill they have in their garage. She targeted 30 minutes and after that, she'd do sit ups. While walking on the treadmill, Jessica thought of what Jonghyun said. She couldn't help but feel slightly tickled inside because of it. Jessica forced herself to "fall out of infatuation" as she'd put it with Jonghyun. She loved Lee Byung Hun and she wanted to keep it that way. She would rather love idols than to have her heart broken by boys who only want one thing. Sex. Besides, Jessica made a promise and of all the promises in her life that she broke, this was one that she was planning on keeping. The promise that she'd never be in a relationship, get married, and have children.

30 minutes have elapsed and Jessica stopped the treadmill to do sit ups. She stepped down, switched it off and headed to their living room to do sit ups. She took the sit ups mat and performed the exercise on it. After 200 sit ups, she stood up and kept the mat, making her way up to take a shower. All this time, she thought of Jonghyun and what he said.

_No oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh oh oh oh_

_Nuni majuchilttae mada shimjangi jamshi momchwo (ho ho)_

_Niga dorasol ttae mada seulpeumi nareul dopchyeo (huk huk)_

_Nae maeumseoge gathyo innun isarangeul jugo shippeo michweo_

_Badajwo catcher_

_Here's (here's) my (my ) love baby boy I just can't breathe_

After Jessica had dressed up, she laid on her bed and read a book. She couldn't concentrate on the story for it was Jonghyun that was on her mind.

"_Stop thinking about him! He's just your friend! You like Lee Byung hun. You like Lee Byung hun! You like Lee Byung hun and you're gonna concentrate on the story!"_ Jessica found it really hard so she just closed the book and picked her iPod up. She put her earphones on and blasted some music.

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae momi_

_Nig nal bol ttae mada ni senggak hal ttae mada_

_Neo ttaemae jakkuman nae gaseumi _

_No oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh ohI can't breatheNo oh no oh no oh oh oh oh_

_No oh no oh!_

The clock struck 9 and Jessica turned her iPod off to get ready for bed. She brushed her teeth, washed her face and threw herself on the bed. Tired because of all the activities at school, she fell asleep immediately.

[THE NEXT DAY]

Jessica arrived at school early, as usual. 7:45 to be exact. She walked to her classroom when she remembered what Jonghyun told her about giving her flowers and slipping notes in her locker. Though she had scolded herself millions and billions of times that she wouldn't fall for Jonghyun, that Jonghyun was just a friend, and that she loved Lee Byung hun, the notion still hadn't left her mind. What he said really caused a huge impact on her that she began to feel shy around him and conscious of her surroundings. Jessica began to brush her hair with her fingers and walk in a supermodel manner by crossing her legs. She was new to the attitude so it didn't feel right at first.

"_So this must be what being a woman feels like."_ she thought. She opened her locker hastily and took the books that she'd be needing for the first 3 periods. Jessica

rushed to her classroom with her books in her hand. Yoona and Seohyun spotted her and waved. Jessica waved back and entered the classroom, set her books down on her table and sat on the platform, right in front of Yoona and Seohyun who sat together.

"Are you girls done with the math homework?" Jessica asked. Yoona shook her head. Jessica asked Seohyun and received the same answer, making her smirk in disappointment. She really needed and wanted to copy answers from her friends.

"Hey Jessica Jung!" called a voice from behind. Jessica whipped around and saw Taecyeon, her JS Prom partner last year.

"What, Taec?" Jessica asked annoyed.

"Our Social Studies project! The bulletin board! Let's work on it now." Taecyeon said. Taecyeon was an honor student and very grade conscious. He made sure to accomplish every single task and submit every single requirement with hopes of being the top 1 student.

"Oh yeah! I brought the pictures. Seobaby, Yoong, did you bring the pictures?" the two girls reached into their bags and pulled the pictures out, handing them to Jessica. Jessica took them and walked outside with Taecyeon. Kevin Woo and Alexander Eusebio were outside with the materials for the Social Studies bulletin board. They glued the pictures and arranged them. Seohyun and Yoona came out to help their group mates. Minutes later, the students from the other section came out to work on their Social Studies bulletin boards. Jessica knew because she saw Yuri and her group mates going to their bulletin. She tried to focus on the bulletin board and think of Lee Byung hun when someone tapped her shoulder. Jessica's heart skipped and she looked back. It was Jonghyun.

"Hello Jessica!" Jonghyun said with a cheerful wave. Jessica refused to look at him, for fear that her feelings for Lee Byung hun might disappear.

"Hey!" she pretended to be gluing something whereas she was just positioning the pictures. She waited for Jonghyun to walk away and when she was sure he left by spying on him with her peripheral vision, she turned to get the glue and worked on the bulletin board.

[COME LUNCHTIME]

After lunch, Yoona, Jessica, and Seohyun went back to the bulletin board with hopes of finishing it, only to find it all done. Taecyeon, Kevin, and Alexander had finished the bulletin board just in time for checking. The three marveled at the wonder of their work and oblivious to Jessica was Jonghyun just standing right next to them.

"Hello Jessica." called the familiar voice. Jessica jumped out of her skin and spun around to face Jonghyun. Jonghyun greeted her with his cheerful wave. Seohyun and Yoona waved at him and he waved at the two girls back. Jessica called Jonghyun and asked him to come closer to her.

"About what you told me yesterday, are you really serious? Are you really courting me?" she asked.

"Yeah." Jonghyun grinned. Jessica raised her eyebrow and walked further away from him. Jonghyun followed her nonetheless.

"For real? Because I can't see seriousness in you. Let's just stay friends." Jessica said with a smile. Jonghyun pouted and followed her as she walked away from him.

"Okay." Jonghyun shrugged. "If that's how you see me. If you see it as a joke and you see me as your friend, then okay. But it'll never change the way I feel for you." Jonghyun grinned at her.

"Where you going?" Jessica asked.

"I'm gonna finish this. Bout you?"

"Going to the library."

"Let me take you there." Jonghyun walked Jessica to the library which was only a few meters away from the bulletin boards. Jonghyun opened the door for Jessica and watched her enter as he waved goodbye. Jessica waved goodbye back.

In the library, Jessica sat at the table where she and her friends would sit. She twirled her hair and picked a good book to read. Jessica found it really hard to concentrate on the story because all that was on her mind was Jonghyun. She tried hard to shake it off by reciting Lee Byung hun's movie lines in her head, imagining the way he looked in "G.I. Joe", playing his pictures in her mind to no avail. Loving an idol is one thing but being appreciated by your really, really close friend is another. Jessica couldn't deny the power of attraction that she was feeling for Jonghyun. Confused and infatuated, she put the book back and walked out of the library.

"_How and why am I feeling this way? How did I like Jonghyun? I never really liked him before. I mean, I never had a crush on him, let alone found him attractive. So why the hell am I falling for him now? Dammit!" _Jessica thought. She entered the classroom and tried to focus on the subject-Math. Good thing she stopped thinking about Jonghyun then and was able to follow the lesson.

Come dismissal time, the leaders of the Theater Festival call for a meeting. Jessica had a small part there and so did Jonghyun. After setting her things down at the first gate, Jessica goes back to the theater room to rehearse with the other students. Good-or bad-timing came as she ran into Jonghyun. Refusing to show any signs of awkwardness or attraction that could possibly ruin their very good friendship, Jessica civilly said hello with a cute wave. Jonghyun grinned at her. Jessica noticed a small leaf in between Jonghyun's thumb and pointer. He was playing with it and put it in his mouth. Jessica cringed and let out a groan.

"What the fuck? Why did you eat the leaf?" Jessica asked disgustedly with her Barbie voice.

"It's eucalyptus. Don't worry, it's safe." Jonghyun said.

"Oh." Jessica marveled. She was about to ask Jonghyun about the courting thing when the leaders called all of them in. All the students went in the theater and listened to what the leaders had to say. Jessica paid no mind as she only had a very small role. She sat in one of the chairs and waited for Jonghyun to sit next to her. Sadly, Jonghyun didn't sit next to her, rather, walked all the way to the front where his friends were with his laptop. He turned it on and played online games with them. Jessica pouted and just tried to focus on the drama. Minutes later, she found it boring and left without anyone noticing her.

"_Jonghyun's not minding me. What's the use of staying here?"_ she whispered under her breath. Upon realizing what she had just said, she covered her mouth embarrassed and walked out of the theater as fast as she could. She couldn't believe that she just wanted to leave because Jonghyun wasn't with her. It was a sure sign that Jonghyun was indeed the one she was infatuated with. Jessica ran all the way to the first gate, pulled her cellphone out and texted her mother to pick her up. After 14 minutes of tense waiting, the car finally comes and Jessica tried to keep her composure in order to keep her mother from asking questions. Luckily enough, her mother was all dressed up, meaning they had guests, so they wouldn't be able to talk about it. They drove home.

At home, Jessica greeted her mom's friends who were eating at their dining table while her mother headed straight to the entertainment room where she and her other friends were playing mahjong, a Chinese game. Jessica sat with her mom's friends who were eating in the dining room and ate along with them. She took food in limited amounts, adhering to her strict diet. After a quick chat with her mom's friends, she grabbed her bag and ran all the way upstairs. She changed clothes and turned her laptop on. What she wanted to do was to visit Jonghyun's Facebook page and look at his pictures, just for a little thrill.

And this is where her strong infatuation for Jonghyun begins…


	6. Infatuation?

The following day, Jessica was scheduled to take an entrance exam at a certain university. That morning, she got ready and headed to the university with her mom.

"Dammit! It's still closed. That means I have to wait out here." Jessica cursed. She sat on the floor and waited for the school to open with her mom by her side. Her mom was reading a magazine and she was playing with her pencil. She saw her male classmate and her schoolmate waiting for the school to open, too. A few minutes later, the school opened and Jessica stood up, excited to take their test. Lee Byung hun was also on her mind that day so she had good vibes that her infatuation with Jonghyun would go away.

While in the testing room, Jessica paid no mind to the proctor, rather, occupied her thoughts with Lee Byung hun. She was just so happy that the infatuation phase was over. It lasted quicker than she thought it would. The tests were handed to them and the first test was English. Being a writer, it was very easy for Jessica since she was a writer but the Science and Math tests were killers though not as killer as the tests their teachers would give them. Still, Jessica breezed through them smoothly.

After the test, Jessica exited the testing room and went to find her mom but before she could go any further, her mother called her and she ran to her. They were going to eat outside before Jessica goes to Theater Day practice.

[THEATER DAY PRACTICE]

Jessica arrived at school at around 2:30 pm. She could see someone sitting in a chair with his legs crossed and his hands busy playing the PSP. Judging by the hairstyle, she knew it was Jonghyun. The strong feelings started coming back but she tried to counter it by thinking of Lee Byung hun and reciting his drama lines. But Jonghyun was right in front of her and when he's in front of her, Lee Byung hun doesn't exist. Jonghyun's back was turned so he didn't see her. The normally straightforward Jessica felt shy and apprehensive. She wanted to say hi to Jonghyun but her emotions wouldn't let her. Instead, she sat down in one of the chairs and waited for her turn to act, which never came.

Sica predicted earlier this morning that she and Jonghyun would wear the same shirt or at least have the same character on their shirts. The prediction that Jessica thought was rubbish came true! When it was Jonghyun's turn to act, Jessica nervously tried to think of Lee Byung hun but when he took his glasses off, Lee Byung hun exited Jessica's mind and all that was in was Jonghyun. Jonghyun was a villain in the play so he had to do some serious moving. Jonghyun faced front and a huge surprise greeted Jessica. It was so surprising that Jessica couldn't help but feel weak.

Jessica that day was wearing a Spongebob Squarepants baby tee. To her surprise, Jonghyun was also wearing a Spongebob Squarepants T-shirt only of a different color and a different style. Jessica's prediction came true and it made her feel not just weak but scared. She was so scared of what could happen next if she continued to predict events. Recently she had been experiencing weird premonitions and predictions.

The boredom was unbearable and the actors were taking forever to learn their lines and master their actions. Jessica couldn't take any more of it and she was really afraid that Jonghyun would see their 'matching' shirts so she left for home. Jessica was so in disbelief that she walked quickly and was actually brisk walking without her knowing.

**[song: "2 Different Tears" by the Wonder Girls]**

_Gave me two different tears_

_Neo ttaemunae nan_

_Gipeosseo uregeo_

_Seulpeosseo ureosseo_

_So I hate you_

_So I love you_

_So I hate you_

_So I love you_

_Ooh~_

Jessica took a quick shower and got dressed. She sat on her bed and thought of Jonghyun FULLY. She scribbled and scribbled in her notebook while listening to music.

_Nan neo eobsi saraga neunge wae ajikdo ireokhe himdeunji_

_Deo isangbu eun nunero nuntteugin shillheo ijen ugo shippeo_

Thinking of Jonghyun made her high. So high that she just stood up and danced along to the music that only she could hear. She knew the choreography so she just imagined that she was performing and Jonghyun was watching her

_Geuraesseo niga jun apeum saenggakhae_

_Neo ttaemunae heullin nunmul saenggakhae_

_Geureundae wae jakkuman haengbokhaeteon sungan man_

_Tteo ulligo ineunji moreugesseo _

_Gave me two different tears_

_Neo ttaemunae nan _

_Gipeosseo ureogo_

_Seulpeosseo ureosseo_

_So I hate you_

_(But the love you gave me was so so good)_

_So l love you_

_(But the pain you gave me was so so bad)_

Jessica's mother was ironing the clothes and it was her duty to fold the clothes after they'd been ironed. She gave Jessica the clothes to fold and while listening and lip-syncing along to the song, she did her chore.

_Wae ajikdo neo ttaemae nunmul heullin neun ji naega neomu shilheo _

_Eolmana deo sang cheoreul ibeoya nanneorul miwo halsu issulka _

_Geuraesseo niga jun apeum saenggakhae_

_Neo ttaemunae heullin nunmul saenggakhae_

_Hajiman georulsurok miro naeryeo halsurok _

_Ni moseubeun no gakkai dagawa_

_Gave me two different tears_

_Neo ttaemunae nan_

_Gipeosseo ureogo_

_Seulpeosseo ureosseo_

_So I hate you_

_(But the love you gave me was so so good)_

_So I love you_

_(But the pain you gave me was so so bad)_

Jessica finished her chore and called her mother in. Her mother came and picked the clothes up. Jessica was finally free to do what she wanted.

_Why do I still feel this way when I know there's nothing left to say_

_Charari molla ssumyeon joheul kkyeo jiwo beorigeol shippeo neol_

_Nae jasinege miwo harago neol giyeokhara go geu sang cheoreol_

_But I, that's the reason why, still miss you no matter how hard I try. _

_Gave me two different tears_

_Neo ttaemunae nan_

_Gipeosseo ureogo_

_Seulpeosseo ureosseo_

_So I hate you_

_(But the love you gave me was so so good)_

_So I love you_

_(But the pain you gave me was so so bad)_

_Gave me two different tears_

_Neo ttaemunae nan_

_Gipeosseo ureogo_

_Seulpeosseo ureosseo_

_So I hate you_

_(But the love you gave me was so so good)_

_So I love you_

_(But the pain you gave me was so so bad)_

"Jessica!" called her mother. Jessica paused her iPod and removed the earphones. She approached her mother who was calling her.

"Yes."

"We're gonna visit your grandfather's gravesite tomorrow. It's his birthday. Pick a decent dress that you'll be wearing. Be sure to look as decent as possible. We'll be meeting our relatives."

"Okay. It's a tradition every October." Jessica walked back to her room and picked out a blue dress. She thought it was the prettiest dress in the world.

That night, Jessica tried to focus on the book she borrowed from her friend. Focusing is hard when you're infatuated because all that's on your mind is the guy you're infatuated with. That's what Jessica was feeling. Strong infatuation. And it annoyed her to a certain extent because she couldn't do things without thinking of Jonghyun. He crossed her mind more than 10 or 20 times that night, which was frequent. She could actually dream of him because she thought of him so frequently. Jessica was in a state of confusion.

Wait. Why was she in a state of confusion. It's not like Jonghyun was her first crush. She had Jaebum last year but she never felt this way. Well, it's this simple. There's a distinct difference between Jaebum and Jonghyun. You see, Jaebum was Jessica's crush. Just a little crush, nothing more nothing less. Jaebum never really liked Jessica, rather, he liked a batchmate of his. Jonghyun, on the other hand, liked Jessica. Actually, it was him who started the attraction because had it not been for his 'courting' thing, Jessica wouldn't have felt this way towards him. They would've remained friends had he not popped the question. That's why Jessica felt really different towards Jonghyun. Besides, she and Jonghyun were really close friends while she and Jaebum were only…friends. They only talked to each other during Writing Club meetings which Jessica rarely attended, especially during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of last year. Jonghyun was an entirely different person. He was actually the flirt Jaebum wasn't. What Jabeum was lacking in terms of chauvism, Jonghyun had. Jonghyun actually knew how to make a girl feel weird and good at the same time. Jaebum only knew how to make Jessica's heart flutter but he didn't know how to ignite her senses. Only Jonghyun could because his touch was warm and electric, as mentioned in the first chapter.

[THE FOLLOWING MORNING]

Jessica was already getting ready for her meeting with their relatives. She had the beautiful blue dress on and was just drying her hair and applying her makeup. After doing so, she was all set. She went downstairs and her mother caught sight of her. Being the fashionista mom that she was, she told her daughter to wear earrings and apply lotion. Jessica rolled her eyes and sighed at her mother but proceeded to do so to avoid further arguments. A few minutes later, their relatives arrived at their house and the two got in the van. They all sped off for the cemetery.

At the cemetery, they visited the grave of Jessica's grandfather. After a short prayer session and lighting of candles came the picture taking session. Jessica posed with her grandmother, her uncle, her aunt, and her cousin. Her male cousin wasn't around due to his exams but she promised to upload the pictures for him to see. Since it was nearing lunchtime, they all talked about where they would eat their lunch.

"I think we should eat lunch at a mall." suggested Jessica's mom. All agreed with her and it was set. They would eat their lunch at a mall. They walked back to their van and got in. Since it would be a long drive from the cemetery to the mall, Jessica decided to take a short nap with her sound system on. She listened to a song that really reminded her of Jonghyun because of the lyrics.

**[song: "Diva" by After School]**

_I love my boy (I love my boy)_

_I love my boy (I love you my boy)_

_I love my boy _

_I love my boy (I love you my boy)_

_Everybody scream!_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jaggooman niga senggakna naneun_

_Geudae eh (diva, diva, d-diva)_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jjalit jjalit han ee soon gan_

_Naneun geudae eh (diva diva d-diva)_

_Jaggooman ni senggak en nan nuh eh dalkoman hyanggi_

_Amooluchi aneun cheok nan nehgeh ppajyeo bulyuhsseo _

_Chagabgeh maleul anhehdo naneun mumchool soo eobseo (nocil soo eobseo)_

_Nal bara bondago yaksokheh neh geh _

_I got ni mameul yul soo itneun master key_

_Nun naui masterpiece_

_Uri gachi machi hwansangeh tag team_

_You know we are destiny_

_Sarangeul boolta after this_

_Nuhmoona dalkoman soksakim_

_Jjalit jjalit your kiss so sweet_

_Boy you are my favorite_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jaggooman niga senggakna naneun_

_Geudae eh (diva, diva, d-diva)_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jjalit jjalit han ee soon gan_

_Naneun geudae eh (diva diva d-diva)_

_Just tell me what you wanna do_

_Neh mam nuh gajyuh garago_

_I don't wanna let you go_

_Nuh naman bara bolago_

_I just wanna get it done_

_Sarangeul mal hal gguhlago _

_(Apado jo ah niga eobshineun)_

_Sal sooga eobseo_

_I got big plans for you love for you_

_I don't give a damn what people say_

_Sarangi joong yo heh_

_No matter what you are my man_

_Jagooman jumjum nan munjuh L.O.V.E _

_Sarang ilang gamjung_

_You're so perfect nun nehgeh man jum_

_Come to me naege dagawajuh!_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jaggooman niga senggakna naneun_

_Geudae eh (diva, diva, d-diva)_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jjalit jjalit han ee soon gan_

_Naneun geudae eh (diva diva d-diva)_

_Oneul bam ne gyuttaesuh jamdeulgoman shippeo_

_Illun geh sarang ilga, jaggoman dullyuh_

_Ddaddeut han nuh eh poom eh an gi go man shippeo_

_Na ijeh eotteokhae no ehgeh ppajyeo na bwa_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jaggooman niga senggakna naneun_

_Geudae eh (diva, diva, d-diva)_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jjalit jjalit han ee soon gan_

_Naneun geudae eh (diva diva d-diva)_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jaggooman niga senggakna naneun_

_Geudae eh (diva, diva, d-diva)_

_Oneul bam ne il bam jjalit jjalit han ee soon gan_

_Naneun geudae eh (diva diva d-diva)_

On their way home, Jessica listened to this song until she fell asleep. Upon awakening, they reached their house where the relatives dropped them off. Jessica and her mom entered and began to settle down after the very long trip. They were both tired but Jessica was nowhere near tired as it was a Sunday. She was very excited for the next day as she knew she had someone to anticipate.


	7. Theater Day

With only a few days before Theater Day, the Seniors began to rehearse excessively, asking their teachers to give their time for practice and the teachers, sensing the desperation of the students, willingly gave their time.

Jessica didn't have a really huge role in the play so most of the time it was just free time for her. She and her friends Yoona and Seohyun just roamed around the place, slept in their classroom, watched the practice and listened to music right outside their classroom. But for one particular run-through, everyone was required to stay inside the room. Jessica had no choice but to sneak her iPod in. Watching the rehearsals was boring but Jessica and Seohyun shared the iPod while Yoona slept in the small corner. Jonghyun's scene was up. Jessica just looked down and took her iPod from Seohyun who was browsing through her iPod. Out of sudden hyperactivity, Jessica switched the song to "Lollipop 2", a song she just downloaded the day before.

**[song: "Lollipop 2" by Big Bang]**

_2010 Big Bang_

_It goes L-O-L-L-I-P-O-P_

_It goes L-O-L-L-I-P-O-P_

_You've got style neoneun star modu wonhajanha_

_We gon rock then we roll modu nae motdaero_

_I bami da jinagalttae ggaji boom boom boom_

_Oroji neomaneul wonhaneun na_

_Neoreul gamassaneun bolbichi areumdawo _

_Turn it up, drop it low, gotta move it slow_

_O hana ppeuningeol duryeoweo malgo nuneul ddeo_

_Show me what you got there, gotta work it _

"Sica, I need to go to the bathroom. Here, take this first." she removed the earphone and handed it to Jessica. Jessica took it and placed it in her other ear. Jonghyun's part ended and he must've seen the space next to Jessica. He sat next to Jessica and began to flirt with her.

"Hey! Seohyun's seated there! Get off!" Jessica said with her honey voice. Jonghyun laughed at her and sat even closer. Nervous, excited, yet annoyed, Jessica moved away.

"Why? Does it mean a thing if I'm seated next to you?" asked Jonghyun in a flirty manner. Just then, Seohyun returned and Jessica made him move. Seohyun occupied the space that was hers.

"Hey Seohyun, let's switch places." Jonghyun asked Seohyun. Seohyun was oblivious to his plans so she just agreed to do so. Jessica was pissed off at this and stood up, moved away from Jonghyun and sat next to Yoona who was still sleeping in the corner. She looked back at Jonghyun and stuck her tongue out at him. Jonghyun covered his face in pretend shame. Jessica bit her tongue and laughed at him.

"Sorry." Jonghyun mouthed. Jessica just ignored him. Sensing that he was looking like an idiot beside Jessica, he stood up and joined his friends on the other side of the room while the actors were acting.

_My Cinderella geudaen bit naneun LED gunureul shineobeorin loll Della_

_My loll Della nunbushin light ddeugeo-un party like it's your birthday_

_Hwaryeohan jumyeongsok uri dandul saero-umigi e lollipop 2_

_Dalkomhan boda jjarithan nae style_

_Let's get wild._

Jessica wanted to hit herself so hard on the head for letting the opportunity to get close to him slip. All she wanted was for him to talk to her and for them to get closer because she really liked Jonghyun. For the first time in her life someone actually courted her and it overwhelmed her to a certain extent that it mixed her emotions up. She wanted to play it coy, she wanted to play games with him by acting all confident and swagger-ish and at the same time, she wanted to just be sweet to him.

_Girl, you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Girl, you're my lollipop_

_Hey! Let's get it popping popping_

_Girl you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Got it got it get down down_

_Everybody just bounce_

_Dalkomhan noye smile nareul michigehae_

_Noye move way you talk got me losing control_

_Gamchulsu eobsneun jasingamee so sexy hey_

_Ireokhae neomaneul wonhaneun na_

_Nunbushin noye body neun make me go woah_

_So turn around pick it up ijen naege matgyeo _

_Ijeshi jakingeol sumgiji malgo get it on oh!_

_Show me what you got there better work that thing_

But for some reason, Jessica didn't want to believe Jonghyun. There was a huge part of her that doubted him, as a matter of fact, as much as she liked Jonghyun, she hated him as well. 90% of her thought that he was just playing around with her. Or that he was just trying to use her so that others wouldn't think that he didn't know how to court. Jessica was also aware of his touchy nature. He became more touchy when he popped the question, even asking if he could massage her chest. Jessica was annoyed when she thought of this. She felt used.

"_I think he's not really into me for the love. He doesn't really care about me. All he wants is the thrill of it." _Jessica thought. She stood up from the platform and walked out of the classroom. Seohyun and Yoona-who had just woken up from her sleep-followed suit.

_Lolli Lolli Lolli Lolli Pop tic tic toc shimjangeun pogpalSeoleneun mam hoheupgonran weonhaneun geoseun modu gollaGutchee seolmyeongeun pilyo eobseo you know me jaljinaeneun namja T. rumble me? Nareul neugyeo I could double D from double B_

_Girl, you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Girl, you're my lollipop_

_Hey! Let's get it popping popping_

_Girl you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Got it got it get down down_

_Everybody just bounce_

_(Uh) Let's goNow here she comes, she wants some of my lollipopShe touchin on my body makes me wanna rockNow here I come I give it to her straight up and downNow here I come, here I come, come, come, come, come_

_Girl, you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Girl, you're my lollipop_

_Hey! Let's get it popping popping_

_Girl you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Got it got it get down down_

_Everybody just bounce_

_Girl, you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Girl, you're my lollipop_

_Hey! Let's get it popping popping_

_Girl you're my lollipop oh girl_

_You're my lolli lolli_

_Got it got it get down down_

_Everybody just bounce_

In the classroom, only Jessica, Seohyun, and Yoona were present. All were in the other section's classroom. They were about to enter when Jessica apprehended them.

"If I were you, I wouldn't go in there." she said.

"Why?" asked Yoona who was always oblivious.

"You know the theft controversy in our class and if they see us in the classroom, they'll think that we're the thieves." Seohyun saw the point in what Jessica was saying and agreed. The three just stayed outside of the classroom. Seohyun and Yoona noticed that Jessica was really talkative and she even had her earphones on, making her voice twice as loud. Seohyun and Yoona gave her weird looks.

"What the fuck?" asked Yoona while laughing. Jessica was singing out loud and was doing aegyo.

"Why? I'm happy today." Jessica cheered. Seohyun and Yoona just laughed at her and she laughed along with them. Just then, a few classmates of theirs began entering the classroom and they entered with them. In the classroom, the three friends sat on the platform.

"I've got something to tell you girls." Jessica said. Seohyun and Yoona listened up. "I don't like Jonghyun. I'm starting to feel awkward around him." she confessed.

"Why? I thought you two were friends." Seohyun asked.

"It's because he's too touchy. Actually, I haven't told you this but he told me this last Thursday. Come closer, others might hear it." Seohyun and Yoona moved closer. "He actually courted me. Because Seohyun left early, I sat next to him. We started talking about things and I'm sure you know him as my 'pretend boyfriend'. You've known that since last year, right? Now the thing is, he's become too attached and he asked me if I could be his girlfriend. Of course, I'm not yet allowed to have one so I said no but he was really persistent…"

"To be honest with you," Seohyun spoke up. "I don't believe in Jonghyun. I find it hard to trust him. How sure are you that he's really courting you? For all I know he could just be playing around."

"You're right." Jessica said. "Nobody plays with me like that. From now on, I'm turning my ice princess game on." Seohyun and Yoona smiled at her.

"What are you gonna do?" Yoona asked.

"I'm gonna stop minding him."

"That's right." Yoona agreed. "Don't care about him. He's just crazy."

[THE FOLLOWING DAYS]

For the next few days, Jessica had been ignoring Jonghyun and Jonghyun didn't budge either, though she knew he was aware that she wasn't minding him. He refused to react. Jessica refused to react either so it was just silent treatment going on between the two of them. Jessica's feelings were just too strong despite the persistent ignoring. She really liked him and was in complete denial in front of her friends and to herself. The reason why she stopped minding Jonghyun wasn't because of his touchiness. Fuck, she loved the way he touched her. It felt so warm. The reason why she began ignoring him was because she became shy. She was shy because Jonghyun liked her and she liked him back. But nonetheless, she continued to maintain to her friends that the reason why she was ignoring Jonghyun was because he was 'harassing' her.

**[song: "No Playboy" by Nine Muses]**

_I don't want no playboy _

_No. No. No._

_I don't want no playboy_

_No. No. No._

_No playboy_

_Eojjeonji neomu jal saengyeosseoMareun neomu dalkomhaesseoChyeoda boneun nunbitchiBotongi ani yeosseoNeomuna jayeon seureobgePareun nae eokkae wiyeDa ollineun ne somsshigaNeomuna neungsuk haesseo_

Since Theater Day was only a day away, the rehearsals were intense as ever. They practiced from seven to five in the afternoon, stopping only for recess and lunch. Jessica still wasn't minding Jonghyun, maintaining that he was just joking and that he harassed her while at the same time, her infatuation for him grew with each passing day.

_Oh anina dareul kkaWae yegameun hangsang majeulkkaBulgil han neukkim deroNeon baram dungi yeotgoOh naege haetdeon mareunNappun man anira dareunYeoja deure gedoda haneun mariya_

At the end of the last day of rehearsals, Jonghyun lost his Ray Ban glasses and was frantically looking for it all over the place. Jessica was just sitting there waiting for her mom to come and pick her up when she noticed Jonghyun looking for something. Not wanting to miss the chance to talk to Jonghyun even just for a while, she asked him,

"What are you looking for?" asked Jessica with a cold, straight face.

"My Ray Bans. I left them somewhere here but I can't find them now." said Jonghyun. "Have you seen them?" Jessica shook her head coldly and ignored him. If only she knew how Jonghyun felt. And if only Jonghyun knew how she felt, just being able to talk to him. Then she saw him go to Goo Hara, Kwon Yuri, and Key. He sat down with them and talked to them, asking them about his glasses. They said they hadn't seen them and helped him find the glasses. Goo Hara was sitting right beside Jonghyun and Jessica noticed the sweetness and touchiness Jonghyun was showing Hara. This made Jessica jealous and it only gave her a reason to believe that he was just fooling her.

_I don't want no playboyNallarin shireoSarangi mwonjido moreuneun aereul eottasseo dwaesseoI don't want no playboySeon suneun shireoMichyeosseo naega wae buranhae hamyeo shin gyeongeul sseoNo playboy_

Jessica's mother came and she frustrated got in the car. Her mother asked her about her day and she answered with just one word. Okay. Ever since she started liking Jonghyun, she became very distant to her mother, only talking to her when she really needed it. Otherwise, she'd just sit in her room listening to music or writing a novel. All that Jessica wanted was for Jonghyun to notice her. Well she knew that Jonghyun liked her but she just couldn't bring herself to talk to him.

_Neo malgodo meori appeun il neomu manhaNae ireul jalha gido neomu bappa neo gati eorin aewaNolla jul shigan eobseoDareun gwiyeowun aedeulgwa hago nollaNeo gateun aedeulgwa gati noraI wanna real man nan jinjja namjal gidaryeoOh anina dareulkkaWae yeogameun hangsang majeulkkaBulgilhan neukkim dero neon baram dungi yeotgoOh naege haetdeon mareunNappun man anira dareunYeoja deure gedoda haneun mariya_

That night, Jessica sat alone in her room thinking about Jonghyun and what would've been if they were a couple now. What if they were together. What if Jessica had said yes. Would that make her life so much more different than it is right now? She thought of all the sweet possibilities. But with sweet possibilities come bitter situations. She thought of what obstacles they'd go through if they were a couple and decided that it wasn't worth the pain. Jessica had her whole life ahead of her and she'd rather live her life doing what she loved than to waste time thinking about someone who isn't even related to her and she isn't even sure she's going to marry. Jessica's mind was all made up. She was gonna ignore Jonghyun until their school year ends.

[THEATER DAY]

On Theater Day, everyone was busy. The production team was setting everything up. From the props to the costumes to the makeup, they were all very busy backstage. The actors and actresses were trying hard to stuff their lines into their brains at the last minute while the technical team was trying to make sure that all the equipment needed would work well. From the microphones to the speakers to the lights, it all fell to the technical team to work it out. Jessica sat with Yoona who had very little participation in the production and watched the production staff finish painting the props. They were talking about dresses while Jessica was busy looking for Jonghyun. She found Jonghyun dressed in all black from his jacket down to his sneakers, talking to Seohyun and Key who were busy working on the props. Jessica and Jonghyun's eyes met. Jonghyun smiled at her using his eyes but Jessica reciprocated coldly by turning her head.

In order to ease your boredom, we are going to skip the ceremony because it consisted of primarily the usual things. First, the hosts open the show with their introduction then they introduce the performers. The Seniors performed first, followed by the Juniors, then the Freshmen, and lastly, the Sophomores. After a 40 minute lunch break and some intermission numbers, the judges had reached their verdict.

The Freshmen finished in third, the Seniors bagged second place which was kind of insulting because they were champions twice in a row, and the Sophomores were crowned the champions. The Seniors felt really bad and walked up to their room with sour and sad looks on their faces. In the classroom, most of them cried, some of them just sat there and wept. Jessica, Seohyun, and Yoona had no reaction. Judging by how seriously the actors took the practice days and how poorly written and corny the script was, they saw it coming. Besides, they were outcasts so they didn't care. It didn't concern them that much because they didn't have a huge participation in the play. Jonghyun was unaffected as he was always optimistic. He tried to see the good in things. Jessica still loved/hated him and despite of the huge upset that occurred, it was still Jonghyun she stared and cared about.

_I don't want no playboyNallarin shireoSarangi mwonjido moreuneun aereul eottasseo dwaesseoI don't want no playboySeon suneun shireoMichyeosseo naega wae buranhae hamyeo shin gyeongeul sseoNo playboyI don't want no playboyNallarin shireoSarangi mwonjido moreuneun aereul eottasseo, dwaesseoI don't want no playboySeon suneun shireoMichyeosseo naega wae buranhae hamyeo shin gyeongeul sseoNo playboy_

After the program, most of the students went home while some stayed and hung out for a while. Jessica asked her mom to pick her up at around 5:30 so she could stalk Jonghyun longer. But a huge surprise greeted her. She ran into Chansung and Jaebum! The alumnus who came to their school just to watch the Theater Day plays. God knows how much Jessica had missed them! In her excitement, she asked them to come with her and talk.

"God I missed you guys so much!" she squealed.

"Well we missed you, too!" Chansung said.

"Say would you guys like to go to the canteen and talk? It's been a long time since you last came here."

"Jessica, it was just last year." Jaebum answered. Jaebum still looked the same. Well, so did Chansung but Jaebum's face was exactly like his face last school year. The same face that Jessica fell so madly in love with. But they're good now. They're just like brother and sister now.

"I know but I missed you guys so much! I missed the conversations we used to have."

"Well let's have them now!" Chansung cheerfully said. The three headed to the canteen and talked about life. Jessica's life in general. Jaebum and Chansung laughed at the embarrassing experiences shared by Jessica and she laughed at the experiences shared by the two, as well. Feeling the need to come clean, however, Jessica admitted to the two what her true feelings were.

"I have a suitor. Or if that's what you can call him then fine. But I think he was just play courting me." Jessica shrugged.

"Play courting? There's no such thing, man. If he's play courting you it means he's courting you." Chansung said.

"Play courting is his way of saying he likes you." Jaebum justified.

"And he's a really touchy feely guy. Like he'd touch my shoulders, legs, get all cuddly and stuff." Jessica said.

"Ah! That does it! He's courting you!" Chansung hollered.

"That's courting alright!" Jaebum hollered in his soft, low voice. Jessica just laughed at them.

"Why would he want to court me?" she asked out of the blue.

"Who wouldn't want to court you? He must be crazy not to!" Chansung said.

"What's so nice about me? I think you're the crazy one, Chansung!"

"What's nice about you? Well let's see. You're pretty, you're tough, you're a bit boyish but you dress like a girl, you're talented, you're a good writer and a good speaker and those things say a lot about you. They're good points, Sica!" Chansung said.

"What about you, my brother?" she playfully asked her ex-crush, Jaebum.

"He said everything I wanted to say so I'm just gonna say, same here!" Jaebum waved his hand lightly at her. Jessica laughed and marveled in awe. She thanked them for being so sweet to her.

"Thanks guys. I really feel better now. So much better. Your honesty was all I needed." Jessica smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Say I gotta ask you something, Jaebum. Remember when you asked me out last year?"

"Yeah." he said.

"Well let's make it happen this year." Jessica said.

"Sure. Why not? But I'm not sure. I still have to check my schedule!" Jaebum said.

"Cool man! She asked you out! She asked you out! She fucking asked you out!" Chansung cheered. Chansung was in a really cheerful mood.

"I can. Why not. You're my sister after all!"

"Thanks!" Jessica grinned. She looked at her watch and saw that it was 5:30 pm already. "Gee guys, I gotta go! I think my mom's waiting at the front gate."

"We'll walk you there, Jess!" Jaebum offered. The three walked all the way to the front gate and once there, sure enough, Jessica's mom was there. She bid them goodbye and walked to their car.

_Let me try to break it down for you one timeNiga nal sogyeotago neoreul wonmangHaji anheunni geok jeongeun hajimaNan neomu bappa ni wonmang kkaji naHae jul shigan do eobtdanda agaya mian hadaNunaga jom bappeu danda geureoni geokjeong malgo ttande gaseo norara_

Jessica was just so happy that time. She'd always wanted to meet her friends, those two in particular. She replayed the meeting in her mind over and over again and recited their conversation. It was short but she surely had a good time with them. They were the guys she was looking for. Her ideal men were they. They were honest, decent, and gentlemanly. Her Junior life began to flash before her eyes and she remembered the days when she'd shyly ignore Jaebum but now, she was just so comfortable with him. She saw him as her brother now. And he was loved by her friends. More so than Jonghyun. Seohyun even wanted them to get together and she said that if they were together, she'd approve of it 100%. Jaebum was the ideal guy.

_I don't want no playboyNallarin shireoSarangi mwonjido moreuneun aereul eottasseo dwaesseoI don't want no playboySeon suneun shireoMichyeosseo naega wae buranhae hamyeo shin gyeongeul sseoNo playboyI don't want no playboy no no noI don't want no playboy no no noNo playboy_

Jaebum was the ideal guy.


	8. Together At Last

_**In the next month, things between Jessica and Jonghyun were still the same, if not worse. They continued to ignore each other and worse, Jessica had been saying bad things about Jonghyun and telling other people, especially the people that believed in their pairing, that she hated him and never wanted to be his girlfriend. She no longer considered him her friend and whenever they'd cross paths, she'd walk with her head held high and her expression cold. Her bond with Yoona and Seohyun strengthened, though. And each time they'd discuss sex, she'd bring him up and accuse him of being a maniac in front of her friends. **_

_**Jonghyun on the other hand had no idea that Jessica had been talking shit about him behind his back. He didn't care to know, either but what he knew was that Jessica just felt a little shy. According to him, it was because he popped the question and he knew she liked her. He just let it slide. He wanted to give a her a little bit of room. **_

_**But for someone who really wanted to have a girlfriend and for someone who really had a huge crush on Jessica, how long could he give her 'a little room'?**_

_**Truth to be told, Jonghyun couldn't hold on to the feeling any longer. He needed to know why Jessica had been acting so coldly towards him whereas he knew he did nothing wrong. He just wanted things between them to be okay. Jonghyun wanted to talk to her but the problem is…**_

_**When?**_

_**God has a plan for all of us. And for some reason, everything fell into place when Seohyun, Jessica, and Yoona were eating at the canteen. **_

"_**You know what, I'm never gonna have a boyfriend!" Jessica proudly declared.**_

"_**I want to have one at the right time." Seohyun said.**_

"_**I want to have a boyfriend. My ex has been acting really stupid lately and I'm missing him." Yoona said.**_

"_**Just don't care about him!" Jessica hollered. "Look at me! I'm single, I'm happy, and I'm on diet. Just follow me if you want to be happy forever, right Seobaby?" Seohyun nodded and laughed at Jessica's hyperness. They just love it when Jessica gets hyper. It puts them in a good mood. As soon as the girls had finished eating, they began to wrap up and head back to their classroom. Once they got to their classroom, Seohyun noticed something. She felt her finger and was shocked to know that her ring wasn't around her finger no more.**_

"_**Jessica!" Seohyun panicked. "My ring! It's missing!" **_

"_**God! Where'd you put it? Did you check your pockets?"**_

"_**I even checked my lunch box. I think I left it at the canteen. Come with me, let's look for it." Jessica agreed to go with Seohyun and head back to the canteen to look for her ring. Luckily enough, they found it under the table. Seohyun was relieved and wore it around her finger. Jessica and Seohyun walked out of the cafeteria to go back to their classroom when they ran into Jonghyun who just came out of the laboratory. Jonghyun waved at Seohyun and Seohyun waved back. Unable to control himself, he grabbed Jessica's face and asked her,**_

"_**Why haven't you been minding me?" he blurted out. Jessica yelped and pushed his hands away, hastily walking to their classroom. Jonghyun walked after her and asked Seohyun what time it was. **_

"_**Seohyun, what time is it?"**_

"_**It's 12:35." Seohyun said.**_

"_**Good. There's still a lot of time." There was a small bench beside the lockers and Jonghyun pulled Jessica there. Jessica sat next to him and ignored him.**_

"_**So why haven't you been minding me?" Jonghyun asked. "What did I do wrong?" **_

"_**Because you are very touchy and you're never serious." Jessica answered with a straight face.**_

"_**Serious about what?"**_

"_**The courting thing. You weren't serious about that, were you?"**_

"_**I was." Jonghyun admitted without a smile, showing that he was really serious.**_

"_**You were?"**_

"_**Yeah."**_

"_**Why me? The fact that you chose me was proof enough that you weren't serious. Out of all the beautiful-"**_

"_**Do not underestimate yourself. You are pretty."**_

"_**Which part?"**_

"_**Your face is pretty. I think you're very pretty, Jessica. That's why I courted you. But since you stopped talking to me, I think that's your way of saying no." Jessica wanted to say yes there but the thoughts of problems and stuff haunted her. **_

"_**Okay. So it's almost time and I think we should end this conversation. I'll just talk to you later."**_

"_**So are we okay?" asked Jonghyun.**_

"_**Yeah we're okay." Jessica said, not looking back. Jonghyun cheered and gleefully walked away. Jessica gritted her teeth and smirked. She entered the classroom and sat with her friends in class, ready to fall asleep again.**_

"_**Dammit Seohyun! You shouldn't have dropped your ring. Otherwise, **_

_**Good thing the Student Council came in for an announcement. That woke the students up. And what's even more exciting is the announcement was about a party to be held that month.**_

"_**Good afternoon everyone! We're here to announce the Express Yourself party. It's a night celebrating the right to freedom of expression. That night you can do anything you want to, just make sure that you won't hurt anyone. And, although it's not required, you have to come in expression or statement shirts. But if you don't want to, it's okay. You'll just have to pay extra. So that party's in two weeks! See you guys there!" the Student Council bade them goodbye and left the room. The students began to talk about the party and others asked their friends if they were attending. Knowing that most of them would be going and knowing that it'd be a night of freedom, the popular kids decided to dance at the party. **_

"_**Jessica, are you going?" asked Yoona.**_

"_**Nah! If you girls ain't going then I ain't going."**_

"_**I'll see if I will go." Yoona said.**_

"_**Most likely you'd be with your boyfriend. So I'd rather stay home."**_

"_**What about Key and Jonghyun."**_

"_**I still don't want to talk to Jonghyun. And Key has his own friends."**_

"_**Oh." **_

"_**Yeah. So I'm not going, most likely." **_

"_**Okay. But I'll be bringing my boyfriend." Yoona teased.**_

"_**Fine." Jessica laughed and stuck her tongue out. **_

_**[AT THE PARTY]**_

_**November 26, 2010. The party was held at the school basketball court which was very huge and wide. Everyone was partying, everyone was having a good time and yes, Jessica was there in a red, off-shoulder blouse, Daisy Dukes, and red stilettos. She told Yoona she wouldn't go but she was there, drinking punch with Minho and Yuri. She actually arrived with the two of them and had been feeling out of place since. Minho and Yuri were just so sweet that she couldn't sometimes bear to look at them. Instead, she chatted with Kevin Woo who wouldn't stop taking pictures. **_

"_**Dammit I want to drink!" Jessica said out loud. But her loud, boisterous voice was drowned out by the blasting music.**_

"_**What's up with your drinking addiction? You've been needy since last week!" Kevin Woo said.**_

"_**I just want to drink. I miss the taste of wine." Jessica rested her cheek on her palm. **_

_**Just then, Key joined them. Jessica was really happy to see Key and began to talk to him. Key loved to talk about Ji Yeon and how much he wanted to be her boyfriend. They laughed and laughed at his dreams and they reached the conversation Jessica hated the most. Prom. **_

"_**So who you taking to the prom?" Jessica asked Key. Key shrugged.**_

"_**I wanted to take Ji Yeon but Yuri told her ahead and now she's all awkward with me. I really want to ask her out but I don't have the guts."**_

"_**Well, I asked my outsider friend out." Jessica said.**_

"_**Aww. But what about Jonghyun?" Key teased. Jonghyun and Jessica were always being paired by their batchmates because of their closeness. Jessica resented Jonghyun now, though.**_

"_**I don't care about him. I just won't care about him!" Jessica answered coldly.**_

"_**Poor Jonghyun. Why don't you like Jonghyun anymore?" Key asked**_

"_**Yeah. Jonghyun's a nice guy. He's flirting with you!" Yoseob said. Yoseob was the weirdest guy in Jonghyun's class and was a video game geek. He had no friends and was just called in to the table by Jessica who considered him as her friend**_

"_**I don't care. I already have a partner." Jessica was bluffing. Sure, she asked Jaebum out but she wasn't even sure if Jaebum would come. Plus, her not caring about Jonghyun? Not a chance!**_

_**Key, Yoseob, and Kevin left the table to hang out with their other friends who just came. Yuri and Minho left to watch the performers so Jessica was left alone at the table. Good thing Seohyun arrived. Jessica finally had someone to be with. Seohyun and Jessica bonded a lot.**_

"_**Seohyun, you're here till what time?" Jessica tried to speak clearly amidst the noise.**_

"_**8. I have to go to another party." Seohyun answered.**_

"_**Shit!" Jessica playfully said. "Don't leave me here!" Seohyun smiled. Jessica hugged Seohyun.**_

"_**Who are you with? You came alone, too?" **_

"_**No. I'm with Yuri and Minho. They're there." she pointed at the crowd. Seohyun tried looking for them but she couldn't locate them. Minutes later, Seohyun's other friends came to talk to her and Jessica felt completely out of place.**_

"_**Listen, I'll just go look for Yuri, okay?" **_

"_**Okay." Seohyun said. Jessica stood up and rolled her eyes. She was getting bored. She took a chair and placed it next to Yuri and Minho. Yuri and Minho were cuddling and kissing, much to Jessica's annoyance. Jessica sat there and laughed with them, talked with them, and watched the performances with them. Jessica got bored again and decided to stand up to walk around the place. She tried looking for Key to keep him company when all of a sudden, as she was approaching the food stand…**_

"_**Hi Jessica! You look really sexy tonight." the familiar voice echoed through her brain and sent vibrations to her blood vessels. She turned her head swiftly to the right and saw the man of her dreams and the monster of her nightmares.**_

_**Kim Jonghyun.**_

_**Jonghyun was wearing a purple shirt, leather pants, black rubber shoes and a black leather jacket. One thing's for sure, despite being a nerd, Jonghyun sure knew how to dress. Jessica was stunned and frustrated at the same time. She nearly slapped Jonghyun but Jonghyun moved back and laughed at her cute feistiness. To Jonghyun, her feistiness wasn't scary. It was oh so adorable. **_

_**Jessica walked up to Seohyun and gave her a hug. Seohyun was taken aback by her blunt actions but nonetheless, hugged her friend back. Seohyun pulled Jessica a chair and Jessica waited for Jonghyun to come. She looked left and right and saw no sign of Jonghyun. **_

"_**Wait here." Seohyun nodded and talked to her group of friends. Jessica tapped Jonghyun on the shoulder and asked him to come with her. He stood up and walked with her to a certain area where they sat and talked.**_

"_**Okay, tell me." Jonghyun started off seriously, "What was the worst thing I've done to you?"**_

"_**Worst thing? Remember when we went to the libraries for our thesis and you touched my legs? That was the worst." Jessica said pertaining to their library visit back in August. **_

"_**Oh. For that, I'm sorry. Please accept my apologies." Jonghyun said.**_

"_**No it's okay. I was never angry with you. I just felt kind of…awkward. But you were awkward, as well. You actually stopped minding me."**_

"_**I didn't want to pester you. I just wanted to give you some space, you know. I just didn't want you to get even more annoyed with me." Jessica smiled at his consideration.**_

"_**Well I just want to let you know that I've forgiven you." Jessica said. She looked at Seohyun and told her that Jonghyun had been forgiven. Seohyun smiled at the two of them and checked her cellphone clock.**_

"_**Oh! I have to go. Me and my friends still have to attend a party." **_

"_**Okay Seohyun. Bye!" the two friends hugged. Seohyun and her other friends left the school party to attend another party. Jessica was left with Jonghyun.**_

"_**What time are you going home?" Jessica asked him.**_

"_**I'm going home at 11. You?"**_

"_**11." Jessica answered. "Please stay with me throughout this party. I don't want to be alone."**_

"_**Okay. No problem. I've got no one to be with, either."**_

"_**Let's start from scratch." Jessica said. "You said you wanted me to be your girlfriend. Were you honest about that?"**_

"_**A hundred and ten percent." Jonghyun grinned. "I actually wanted to tell you earlier but I felt kind of shy to do so."**_

"_**Why were you shy? I'm your friend."**_

"_**Because you might get even angrier with me."**_

"_**Don't think that."**_

"_**So I just want to ask you if you want to be my girlfriend." Jessica's heart skipped. She thought of the possibilities. The consequences, the good times, the bad times, the hot times, everything. She didn't want to have a boyfriend then but this was Jonghyun. Kim Jonghyun was asking her out and although he wasn't exactly what you could call handsome, Jessica liked him for his charm, intelligence, and because they had been friends since Junior Year. Knowing Jonghyun quite well and admiring him so much, she said..**_

"_**You want my answer?" **_

"_**Yeah."**_

"_**Yes." Jessica said with a smile. Jonghyun beamed with delight and put his arm around her. Jessica was in a state of shock.**_

"_**I love you." Jonghyun said for the first time. No guy had ever said I love you to Jessica before. **_

"_**So it's official? We're together?" Jessica asked to confirm.**_

"_**Together forever." Jonghyun answered.**_

_**[song: "Ready to L.O.V.E." by Brown Eyed Girls]**_

_Geudaewa geudaewa du pareur beolyeoseoDa anajulgeyo how much I need youNaesarang geudaeyeo Oh my love_

_Naneun hwaksilhage malhar su isseoUri mannameun uyeoni ani yeosseoMaeum gipsukhan goseurobuteo neukkigo isseoNaegachatdeon sarangi neoyeosseoNan wonrae gasi dothinMiun orisaekki gateun goseumdochi yeotneundeNeoro inhae naui modeun geosi byeonhae beorine_

Jessica and Jonghyun spent most of their party time together. They didn't mingle with anybody else and instead, just focused on their newly ignited relationship. Jonghyun knew more about Jessica and Jessica learned a lot about Jonghyun.

"I can't wait to spend more time with you. I really want to get to know you more. On Monday, I will eat lunch with you and your friends." Jonghyun promised.

"Well that's nice. But there are some things that I want you to know."

"What?"

"I don't want you to be a controlling, manipulative boyfriend. I don't want you to get jealous whenever you see me talking to guys. I don't want you to ban me from wearing shorts or skirts. And I don't want you to stop me from doing what I want." Jessica requested.

"Of course I won't stop you! Those things all depend on you and I know that you're old enough to make your own decisions so I'mma leave the dressing and the other boys to you. Just be loyal because I'm gonna be very loyal to you." Jonghyun leaned his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arm around her. Jessica loved the feeling so she didn't retaliate. She just let him do as he pleased.

_Oh baby eonjena geudaewa sujupge utneun misoyeongwonhi nan geudaewa majujabeun du soneurosojunghan geudaewa saranghago saranghalgeoya ye~geudaega geudaega nae mame deureowasumgir su eopseoseo I love U foreverjinagan siganeun barame nalligogeudaewa geudaewa du pareur beollyeoseoda ana julkkeyo how much I need younaesarang geudaeyeo Oh my love_

"You know what?" Jonghyun asked, not removing his head from Jessica's shoulder.

"What?" 

"I recorded the time that you said yes to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You said yes today. November 26, 2010. 9:40 pm."

"Oh my God. I'm so gonna remember this for the rest of my life." Jessica said. Jonghyun squeezed her arm and buried his head into her shoulder and smelled her sweet-smelling, honey-colored hair. The two sat and talked so little. They actually didn't need to talk to express their newfound love for each other. All they needed was each others' presence.

_nae nungwa gwiwa ko modeun gamgageur dongwonhagoojig uri dulmaneur neukkigoi neukkimeur yeongwonhi nan jeulgigo sipeoBaby I don't care namdeuriuri dure daehae mworaedo sanggwan anhaegeumankeum neoreur saranghaneOh baby jakkuman dagawa dalkomhan geudae misojakkuman deo dagawa gakkawojin geudae ipsuljakkuman dagawa neukkyeojineun geudaeui sarang ye~_

So many people saw them sitting sweetly together, most of these people were their classmates and schoolmates, even some teachers. One teacher in particular tried to take their picture, much to Jessica's annoyance. Complaining because of the photos, the attention, and the cold weather, Jessica asked for Jonghyun's leather jacket. Jessica used it as her blanket and shield whenever someone would try to take their picture. Jonghyun on the other hand, posed cheerfully for the camera. 

It was getting late, maybe around 10:00 pm. The two were really bored because they had nothing to do. Yuri and Minho had left, most of their other friends had left, and only a handful of people were left in the court. Jonghyun and Jessica refused to leave each others' side and stayed right where they were. After a few minutes of cuddling and silence, Jonghyun popped another question.

"Jessica."

"Yes?"

"Now that you're my girlfriend? Can I ask you something?

"What is it?"

"Can I kiss you?" Jessica's heart stopped beating. She was sure she died and went straight to heaven, even past it. Jonghyun just asked her if he could kiss her. Of course he could! Besides the fact that they were already in a relationship, Jessica had always wanted Jonghyun to kiss her, ever since the day she started liking him.

"Okay. I guess." Jonghyun smiled. 

"Come closer then." Jessica leaned closer to Jonghyun.

"Closer…closer…" when Jessica was just a few inches away from Jonghyun's lips, Jonghyun pushed her cheek further to the left with a kiss. After that kiss, a strange saccharine rush overcame Jessica. She felt her insides flip and her blood flow faster. Her heart started beating once more.

"That felt…good."

"It was good, right?

"Weird. But good." 

"Would you like me to do it again?" Jonghyun asked. 

"Not if I do it first." Jessica leaned closer to Jonghyun and covered them with his jacket. She gave him two small kisses on the cheek.

"Come. Lean closer." Jessica leaned closer to Jonghyun and he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and placed his arm around her. Jessica couldn't be any happier.

"You are the first guy to kiss me." Jessica said.

"You are the first girl to kiss me, too." Jonghyun said. "And I wish that I could be the first to kiss your lips. I'll wait for that at the prom."

_geudaega geudaega nae mame deureowasumgir su eopseoseo I love U foreverjinagan siganeun barame nalligogeudaewa geudaewa du pareur beollyeoseoda ana julkkeyo how much I need younaesarang geudaeyeo Oh my love_

_ready go ready to loveready go ready to loveready go ready to loveready go ready to lovelet me go let me lovelet me go let me love_

With only 30 minutes left before the closing of the party, the two just sat down there and tried to absorb what just happened. Jessica tried to accept the fact that she was no longer a 'never-been-kissed' or a 'never-had-a-boyfriend' girl while Jonghyun was trying to internalize the fact that he already had a girlfriend. They were ready to accept and face the good and bad times that were to come their way. They thought, if they really loved each other, they'd do whatever it takes just for their relationship to work. Jonghyun and Jessica talked it out and promised to keep it that way.

oooo-oooo

30 minutes had already elapsed. It was time to wrap the party up and go home. Jessica and Jonghyun didn't want to retire without each other so before Jessica finally says goodbye, Jonghyun walked her to the gate and waited for her mother to pick her up. Finally, her mother came and Jessica had to say goodbye to Jonghyun in a discreet, no kissing manner.

"Bye Jessica!" Jonghyun said.

"Bye…" Jessica waved as she got in her car. They sped off to their home. 

That night, neither of them could sleep. Jonghyun was awake and alone at home so all he did was just beam to himself and lie down with a huge grin on his face. Jessica on the other hand was all strung out. She was on cloud nine. She was on ecstasy. She was high on drugs and drunk, all at the same time. She laid down on her bed but did not sleep, rather, she just thought to herself. She recalled the touchiness and the kissing they had that night. 

They both had a wonderful night.

_geudaega geudaega nae mame deureowasumgir su eopseoseo I love U foreverjinagan siganeun barame nalligogeudaewa geudaewa du pareur beollyeoseoda ana julkkeyo how much I need younaesarang geudaeyeo Oh my love_

[MONDAY]

Jessica was feeling nervous. She knew that everyone at school saw her and Jonghyun acting all sweet at the party. She knew that everyone would tease her as soon as she gets in the room. And she knew that everyone knew about her relationship. She was in trouble…well not really.

"If you ain't know, now you know!" she told Yoona. Yoona was surprised. Jessica dropped her bag and sat on the platform in front of Yoona.

"So how was the party?"

"Jonghyun and I are together now." Jessica blurted. Yoona's sleepiness disappeared.

"What the fuck?" Yoona said.

"Exactly!" 

"Oh My God! I'm so happy for you!" Yoona squealed. "Wait for Seohyun. She has to know about this."

"I know. I haven't told her yet. She left when I said yes to Jonghyun."

"Shit! Yieee…you're in love~" Seohyun teased. Jessica smirked and shrugged.

"But I'm not sure if he's serious about it. I don't know if I can trust him." Jessica sighed hopelessly but she really wanted to be Jonghyun's girlfriend.

"Why don't you go there and talk to him?" suggested Yoona.

"Yeah." Jessica said. She fixed her eyelash curler, lipgloss, and ribbons in her pocket and hastily stood walked quickly outside of the classroom and as she was nearing the other section's classroom, she made a turn to the girls' bathroom and fixed her hair a bit, as well as apply a little bit of lip gloss and curl her lashes before heading to the other section's classroom. The classroom was quiet and there were only very few people. Jessica peeked and saw Jonghyun sitting right next to Key. Jonghyun was still feeling sort of shy so Key poked him and told him that Jessica was standing right outside the classroom, shyly covering her face with the door. She extended her hand and motioned Jonghyun to come to her. Jonghyun stepped out of the classroom and stood really closely to Jessica. Jessica asked him to keep his distance because they were right in front of the faculty room.

"Hey, let's go there." Jessica instructed shyly. They headed to the lobby that separated the library from their classroom and sat on the floor. The two of them just looked at each other and laughed.

"So were you serious that night when you said you wanted me to be your girlfriend?" 

"Yes I was." Jonghyun smiled. Jessica blushed and covered her face with a handkerchief. 

"So it's official?"

"Definitely!" Jonghyun grinned. The bell rang and both parties stood up, parting ways to attend their respective classes. Jonghyun was still grinning from ear to ear in his classroom while Jessica covered her face and ran swiftly to her seat in the front row which was just a few meters away from the teacher's table. Everyone was teasing her about her relationship but she didn't feel insulted, rather, she felt really pleased. It made her all giddy whereas she was very unflappable and unmovable before. Jessica felt weird and awkward yet it was good because she felt brand new. 

Later that day, everybody started asking her about Jonghyun. No matter where she and her friends went, the question was the same.

"Are you and Jonghyun together now?" 

Or sometimes…

"How are you and Jonghyun?"

And being the shy girl that she was, Jessica would always answer,

"We're okay."

Or sometimes…

"Yes."

Bad timing came her way, though because she and her partner had to work on their thesis project. So they had to do some testings and that limited her time with Jonghyun. They were only supposed to meet during recess time and lunch time but since Jessica was preoccupied with their product testing, she had to sacrifice her recess time that was supposed to be for Jonghyun for their product testing.

That would go on for a week.

But since they tested the product after lunch, Jessica was able to spend lunch time with her boyfriend. Being a new couple meant a whole lot of adjusting and awkwardness, especially on the shy Jessica's part. Jessica couldn't bring herself to eat in front of Jonghyun and she couldn't even look at him. Since many of their batchmates ate at the cafeteria, they'd pass by their table and tease them. Jessica, as much as possible, wanted Jonghyun to eat with her and her friends and even if her friends were there, she still felt shy around him. She'd end up giving her lunch away or not eating it.

"Why aren't you eating?" Jonghyun asked her once. Jessica looked at him briefly and looked down.

"I don't eat. Don't ask about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm on diet. I'm fat…" Jessica muttered under her breath. Jonghyun pouted and smiled.

"You're not fat." he said. "You're just right." That wasn't enough to convince Jessica. Everyone was looking at them and grinning. They found their pairing so cute and surprising. 

After eating, they'd often go to the library where Yoona and Seohyun would sit at a separate table while Jonghyun and Jessica bonded at a table concealed from the librarians' view. 

This practice went on for days and progressed as soon as their thesis project testing ended. Jonghyun and Jessica got to spend more time together. They actually grew closer and Jessica was learning to be more comfortable with Jonghyun. He began texting her, everyday before she went to school, she'd receive a text message from Jonghyun. And in return, she'd text back or if she couldn't, she'd write him letters. She had written him a total of three letters, most of which were just sweet nothings. They could really feel their relationship growing despite that paranoid doubts that Jessica had at the back of her mind.

As for more bad news, their finals were in a week and everyone had to study for the big exams. Jonghyun was an overachiever so he had to double his efforts if he wanted to come out on top this trimester. Jessica on the other hand, was contented with just passing the subjects she was having difficulty in. Aside from that, the Sports Fest was coming up and that meant practice time for the sporty people. Three periods before dismissal were given for practice and the whole time, Jonghyun and Jessica sat together talking about each other and getting to know each other more. They walked around the covered court and found a spot up in the bleachers where no one would see them. That's where Jonghyun and Jessica sat really closely to each other and began to talk sweetly. Jonghyun's head was on Jessica's shoulder and Jessica was just sitting prettily, talking to Jonghyun.

"You know what, Jessica, because of you I keep forgetting the things that I should remember. I actually forgot my Ray Bans at home because of you. And earlier, I stood in the shower for 5 minutes because you were all I was thinking of." 

"Am I that of a big distraction?" asked Jessica. "Well then I'd rather not be your girlfriend." she jokingly said and tried to stand up. Jonghyun grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his embrace. Jessica giggled and said she was just joking. Jessica played with Jonghyun's hair and talked and talked with him. 

That day, they were celebrating their 1st week together so Jonghyun decided to go to a 7-11 branch near their school with Jessica. Come dismissal time, the two walked to the store together, being spotted by most of their batchmates who had left earlier. Upon reaching 7-11, Jessica automatically turned her attention to the alcoholic beverages section.

"Hey! You can't buy those! You're only 16." Jonghyun said. "Here, just have some yogurt. You're on diet, right?" Jonghyun grabbed a yogurt can and showed it to her. Jessica nodded cheerfully and followed Jonghyun to the counter. Jonghyun didn't buy a lot either. He just grabbed a can of strawberry jelly juice and paid for everything. Their first week together was kind of boring and plain, mainly because Jessica was on diet. Jonghyun asked for a spoon and told Jessica to sit down at one of the tables there. Jonghyun followed suit and they began to talk about each other. They didn't feel that secure because so many schoolmates of theirs were coming in and spotting them.

"So is it okay with your parents for you to have a girlfriend?" Jessica asked. Jonghyun drank a portion of his strawberry juice and nodded.

"Yeah." 

"Are you sure. Because my mom is so totally against it. I mean, against." Jessica said. "I'm actually very afraid of my mom. She's very strict and controlling it's like I have no freedom anymore." 

"My parents aren't really like that but there's something going on. You see, they're not together. They're living apart."

"Ouch. I feel bad for you. My dad's in America while me and my sister and mom are here in Korea. But we're gonna be moving to America next year so we better make this relationship count." she said desperately. Jonghyun smirked at her and smiled.

"My dad found out about us."

"Woah. How the fuck did he find out?"

"He checked my mobile phone last night. He read your messages."

"The hell? You saved them?"

"I save every single thing you send me or give me. That's how much I love you."

Jessica giggled. "Yeah right. So what did your dad say?"

"Well he asked, "Son, what is this?" and I said, "Dad, I have a girlfriend already." and he took my hand, shook it and said, "Congratulations, son."" Jessica's eyes widened in shock.

"Woah. Good thing it's okay with him. What about your mom, does she know about us?"

"Hmmm…nope. But I think she has an idea. You see, my mom's kinda idealistic. She wants my girlfriend to be wife material."

"Ouch. I'm not wife material so does that mean that I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend?"

"Don't say that. You'll grow up more and you'll learn those things. 'Sides, I think you'd make a good wife someday. I love you, Jessica."

"Aww…I love you too but I really gotta go. I'ts 4:30 and my mom could be looking for me now." The two exited 7-11 and Jonghyun walked Jessica to the waiting shed. She had to ride a public transportation vehicle to get home. 

"Take care, okay. I love you and I'll miss you." Jonghyun said.

"Take care too. I love you." Jessica replied. Jonghyun kissed her on the cheek as soon as the vehicle got there. Jonghyun walked away and when Jessica got in, she looked outside the window to see if Jonghyun was still there. He was gone. Jessica began to feel lonely as she started to miss him. She didn't think about the food or the people at her home. All she thought of was Jonghyun. 


	9. Doubts

As soon as Jessica got home, she was greeted by her mother's friends who were eating at the dining table. There was a lot of food but Jessica opted to eat only a little. She grabbed a paper plate and began picking at the dukkboki and kim bap that were present on the table. She sat down and ate with her mom's friends. Her mom had no idea that she was home as she was in the entertainment room, locked with three of her friends playing mahjong.

"How are you?" asked Mrs. Park, one of her mother's friends.

"I'm okay. But I feel the need to tell you something." they had been together for a year but Jessica was already feeling pinches of guilt.

"What is that, my dear?" asked Mrs. Lee.

"I like someone. And that someone likes me back. And he's courting me." the friends were all shocked. Jessica was known among their group of kids as the shiest and quietest one, one who had never had a love life and all of a sudden this news comes to them. And it came to them as such a huge shock.

"Who is he?"

"How old is he?"

"Is he in the same class as you?"

Those questions were thrown at her but of course, Jessica could only answer one at a time.

"His name is Kim Jonghyun. He's a year younger than me and no, he's from the other section."

Jessica's mom came out of the room and headed to the kitchen where they were. She saw her daughter and was surprised because she didn't hear her come in.

"Oh you're here!" Jessica's mom said.

"Mom I have something very important to tell you but please don't freak out."

"What's that?" her friends anticipated Jessica's big revelation.

"There's this guy friend that I like" Jessica said with a sweet smile. Her mother rolled her eyes and shifted from happy mode to serious mode.

"Let me guess? It's Kim Jonghyun, isn't it?" Jessica covered her mouth in shock. How did her mother know?

"How did you know?"

"You're like an onion. Your skin is so thin, I can see through you. You're not hard to read, Jessica. You're very obvious, especially your actions." Jessica just kept quiet. She wasn't prepared for the next thing her mother had to say.

"That guy is so ugly, Jess. Why don't you try looking for someone who's handsome and rich." her mother's friends laugh along with her. In embarrassment, Jessica covered her face and proceeded to cry. Mrs. Jung's friends noticed this and stopped laughing.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright, my dear?" asked Mrs. Park. Jessica covered her face with a napkin and cried, wiping the flowing mascara.

"Why are you being like this?" Jessica asked her mother in tears.

"Why are you crying? I was only telling the truth."

"Did you have to embarrass him? Did you have to embarrass me?" she asked. "You could've just said it in a nice way! Handsome and rich? Only shows how shallow you are!"

"Jessica, we'll be leaving for America this year. It's too late for that and you will find more handsome guys there."

"I don't care about handsome guys! Why? Dad wasn't, isn't handsome. Neither was he rich when you first met him! Why pressure me to get a handsome and rich guy?" Jessica angrily demanded.

"Your dad was handsome!" Mrs. Jung joked.

"Here you go again! Joking! Can you please be serious."

"Seriously speaking, Jessica, you cannot have a boyfriend because just recently you said you hated him. And most especially, over and over you'd say you'd never have a boyfriend and that you'd stay single for the rest of your life. And now you're telling me that you have a suitor and you're speaking like you want to be his girlfriend, defending him and all! Jessica Jung, when will you make your mind up!" Mrs. Jung sat down to eat with her friends. Jessica couldn't take any more of it and cried once more.

"Honey, if you're crying because your mom humiliated you in front of us, that's fine. We understand because we've been through what you're going through right now and it wasn't easy. I know how having a suitor and wanting to say yes to him feels but don't act like he's the only guy. Trust me, you'll meet other guys out there who are so much better than him and in 10 years time, when we meet again, you'll look back at this and you'll feel very embarrassed and ridiculous. You may not feel it now because you're young but in time you will."

"But I love him. I really do. If I can't have him I'd rather have no one. So what if there are so many handsome boys out there? Yes, there are so many handsome boys but they're not Jonghyun." Jessica defended. She stood up and walked calmly to her room, locking herself in.

In her room, Jessica wept silently to herself. She took her phone and texted Jonghyun.

"_Call me, please. I need to talk to you."_

Jessica waited for the call or at least a reply but nothing came. This only worsened her condition. She cried even harder until she fell asleep. Her mom's friends left at around 12:00 midnight.

[THE FOLLOWING DAY]

"Jessica Jung…" her mother said sternly. "Since your exams are next week, you are grounded." Jessica noticed that her mom had become stricter and more serious since the day she admitted her feelings for Jonghyun. Jessica refused to ask her mother about the sudden attitude change so she just complied. Jessica shut herself up in her room and read and wrote and computed until she was sure she memorized the entire book. After around 5 hours of studying, Jessica laid down to sleep but before closing her eyes, she checked her phone to see if Jonghyun had already replied. Turns out he hadn't.

"_Why hasn't Jonghyun replied yet? Why does he text me when I don't need him but doesn't reply when I want to talk to him so badly? Damn!" _she thought of this long enough to make her drift to sleep.

When she woke up, Jessica headed downstairs for some oatmeal bars. She saw her mother but refused to greet her because she knew her mother was being a real bitch so instead, she walked straight to the kitchen and took her food.

"Have you studied for your exams?" asked her mother.

"Yeah I have." she answered. Her mother walked straight to the entertainment room and watched TV while eating a bag of chips. Jessica shrugged and ate alone in the dining room. As soon as she was finished, she made herself a hot cup of tea and went back to her room upstairs. While writing in her diary, the doorbell rang. Jessica rushed down to get it.

"Hi Jessica!" it was Yuri! In her joy and relief, she hugged Yuri so tightly.

"Yuri, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

"Woah! What's up with the blissfulness?"

"My mom and I aren't getting along well. You see, I told her yesterday about me and Jonghyun but I lied a little. I told her that Jonghyun and I weren't together and he was just courting me but she got angry and humiliated Jonghyun in front of her friends. She said Jonghyun was ugly and that I should looking for someone handsome and rich!"

"What the fuck?"

"I know right! She said that!"

"Damn! What's up with your mom?"

"She's being too idealistic. And now we're not in speaking terms because of that. I tried to call Jonghyun but he hasn't replied yet which worries me like hell."

"You shouldn't have told your mom right away. You should've waited for some time. And also, if you really love each other, you should fight for your love. Maybe not now but when the time comes."

"We will. We will."

Jessica's mom heard them talking and yelled out from the window.

"Jessica Jung! Come back up here and study for your exam!" she reprimanded. Jessica felt a mix of humiliation and anger. She bade Yuri goodbye.

"Yuri, please tell Jonghyun that I love him so much and I will never leave him. No matter what happens." Yuri nodded and went on her way. Jessica's smile faded as she went back inside her house. She went back to her room and studied, not talking to her mother.

[EXAM WEEK]

That week was their exam week. Jessica studied really hard for this as she wanted another chance to improve her grades. The first exams were Chemistry and English. Chemistry was a subject that Jessica was really bad at but she tried her best this time and was able to smoothly go through the test.

Jessica and Jonghyun saw each other everyday during that week but because Jonghyun was really persistent in maintaining his grades and Jessica wanted to improve so badly, they had very little communication which worried Jessica. Jessica would always go home by herself without her boyfriend walking her to the gate.

This is where the second problem comes in.

On the last day of exams, Jessica found herself a bit distracted because a bugging thought…

"_I wonder if Jonghyun really cares about me. Because I think he doesn't. If you're gonna compare him with the other boyfriends, I'd say the other boyfriends know how to handle a relationship better than him. I'm like the pilot here. I always have to guide him and he won't take the initiative. I'm starting to doubt our relationship."_

Jessica logged on to her Facebook account and browsed her friends' profiles, looking at their pictures with their boyfriends. She saw the love and care that was seen in the pictures. Pictures alone expressed how much they loved each other and it didn't even stop there. The words were also very touching. Jessica knew that those couples really loved each other. She cried after reading their messages and wall posts to each other. Jessica felt partly sad and partly jealous. She could only wish Jonghyun was that way. Since her mother wasn't around, Jessica just let her tears roll down and her voice soar high in weeping. She threw herself on the bed and cried, feeling used.

The crying didn't last that long, though. Jessica pulled herself together after 25 minutes of crying like an idiot. Her optimism came back and she thought that it was their first time in a relationship so things were bound to get a little shaky at first but it was her positive thinking that would help them pull through. Jessica smiled a little and played some mellow music to ease her emotions. Jessica took several deep breaths and as soon as she was okay, she went down to get some water.

"_Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong."_ she whispered to herself over and over again. She got back on the computer and began uploading her pictures as well as browsing for pictures of food to forget about her insecurities. She prayed for them not to come back until her mother gets home or else, she'd be in for some mighty interrogation.

[NEXT WEEK]

Jessica and Jonghyun met on Monday the next week. Jonghyun was all smiles while Jessica was trying hard not to show any signs of doubt or whatever negative emotion that could strain their relationship. Jessica smiled a lot in front of Jonghyun and being new in the dating scene, Jessica still couldn't look Jonghyun in the eyes.

"So how was your weekend?" asked Jonghyun. Jessica covered her mouth with her hand as she would always do.

"It was okay. I slept all day. Bout you?"

"Mine was fine. I just went out to buy some gifts and all."

"Really? I went out to buy some gifts, too!"

"I bought your gift! You used up my allowance, dammit!" Jessica scolded playfully. She had a habit of scolding Jonghyun and acting all cute to get his attention. At that, Jessica never failed. Jonghyun just loved every single bit of her.

"What gift did you buy me?"

"I bought you something. Something…not that expensive but I'm sure you could use." Jessica replied. "I'll give it to you later when lunch time comes."

"Okay." Jonghyun said. The bell rang suddenly and Jessica bade him goodbye.

"I'll see you later, Jonghyun." she said.

"See you later, too." Jonghyun leaned forward and kissed Jessica on the cheek. Just so happens that some of Jessica's classmates saw this and began to tease her afterwards.

[LUNCHTIME]

Jessica waited for Jonghyun in front of his classroom that lunch break. It was taking Jonghyun long to come out so Jessica knocked on the door. She was received by Key.

"Hi Key. Where's-"

"JONGHYUUUUNN!" Key called. Jonghyun was playing chess with his other friends when he heard Key's long yelp. Jessica leaned on the wall and hugged her lunchbox

"I'm not here, I'm not here, I'm not here…" she mumbled to herself over and over again. Jonghyun tapped her shoulder and placed his hands on them.

"Hello!" he whispered in her hair.

"Hey. Let's go to the cafeteria." Jessica invited.

"Wait for a while. I'll just get my lunch." Jonghyun went back inside the classroom and grabbed his lunch box. He came back and they made their way down to the canteen.

At the canteen, there were many people but Jessica and Jonghyun chose a silent corner and ate their lunch there.

"What are you getting me for Christmas. It's just around the corner." Jessica reminded.

"Hmm. It's a surprise." Jonghyun grinned childishly. Jessica gave him the cold pout and ate her lunch. "Hey, I might not be able to come tomorrow."

Jessica looked at him disappointedly. "Why?"

"Because I have some…things to take care of." Jonghyun said.

"What things?"

"Secret…" Jessica gave him the cold pout once more. She hated the fact that he kept it secret from her. That gave her another reason to doubt him.

"Okay." she brushed it off and finished her lunch. As soon as Jonghyun was done, they got up and walked back to their classrooms to return their lunchboxes. Jessica went out and waited for Jonghyun in front of their classroom. Jonghyun came out and the two sat down and talked.

"Hey Jonghyun, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Are you really serious about our relationship?"

"Yes. I am." Jonghyun answered.

"So we're officially together?"

"Yes. We are. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're all smiles all the time and you like kidding around and it gives me this notion that you aren't serious about anything. Are you just using me?"

"Why would I use you? Wow! I must be a really mean person!"

"I don't know. It's just my intuition. I think you just want to prove something here."

"No. I really love you, Jessica Jung." Jessica lightened up and looked at him.

"You have to come tomorrow. Please. Do it for me. Christmas is just around the corner and our winter break's coming and we're gonna miss each other again the way we missed each other last weekend and each time we go home." Jessica pleaded.

"I'll try." Jonghyun said. "Stop thinking that I'm not serious about this thing because I really am."

"Thanks. I love you, Jonghyun."

"I love you too, Jessica." Jonghyun gave Jessica a kiss on the cheek before getting up to leave. Jessica just prayed that he'd come the next day.


	10. Winter Break

Jessica waited impatiently for Jonghyun the next day. So impatiently that she didn't talk to Seohyun and Yoona. All she did was look out the window for any sign of Jonghyun and his spiky hair, Ray Bans, blue backpack, blue jacket, black jacket, white and red and blue jacket, whatever property of his. Jessica wanted to see Jonghyun so badly but he never came, much to her dismay.

"_Dammit! He's not coming. I told him to come. Asshole!" _she thought. Yoona and Seohyun tried to talk to her but she just didn't have the energy to do so.

"So how are you and Jonghyun?" asked Yoona with a smile.

"Fine." she answered not taking her gaze off the corridors.

"Have you kissed?" asked Seohyun.

"Yeah." Jessica could only manage one word answers. The clock struck 8 and she finally gave up on waiting for Jonghyun. She was convinced that he wasn't coming and because she missed him dearly, she preferred to just sit alone and do all things by herself. She distanced herself from her friends.

The first part of the morning was gloomy partly because of the weather, because winter break was about to come (tomorrow to be exact), and because Jonghyun wasn't coming.

The bell for recess rang. Yoona and Seohyun approached Jessica who was sleeping with her head on her desk.

"Hey Jessica, you coming with us?"

"No." she muffled.

"Okay." Seohyun and Yoona roamed around the campus while Jessica slept in the classroom. It got to the point where she was the only person in the room. She refused to eat, refused to talk to anyone, refused to anything but sleep and wait for Jonghyun. Jonghyun was all that mattered to her. He meant so much to her that she mumbled his name in her sleep.

Jessica hated to admit it but she changed so much since she and Jonghyun became a couple. Of course, not totally but bit by bit. Emotionally, she became very unstable. She started becoming really hot headed and impatient, especially towards her mother and her friends. She preferred Jonghyun's company though she'd tell Yoona and Seohyun that she loved them more than Jonghyun. Well her promise is about to be tested.

After 20 minutes, the Math teacher entered the room. Jessica woke up with her hair a mess and the classroom filled with students. She rolled her eyes and took her notebook out of her bag. She lazily took down notes and after two periods of Mathematics, she dropped her notebook and pen and head. She fell asleep on her desk once more. Missing Jonghyun was like hibernation. All she could do was sleep as it was the only way to counter crying.

Jessica hated it whenever her friends would talk about winter break and how they're so excited for it. Jessica couldn't see the point in being happy about 2 weeks worth of missing Jonghyun. What's more annoying was their monthsary or their first month together would fall some time during the winter break. The 26th to be exact. This made Jessica want to bang her head on the table more.

History class came in next. Jessica had a love-hate relationship with the subject but since she wasn't in the mood because she was missing Jonghyun, she just slept while the boring teacher did his thing. The teacher was so lenient that even if the entire class slept during his class, he wouldn't care. He just got back in tests, which Jessica would always pass.

Lunch time. Finally. It made Yoona and Seohyun happy as they finally got the break they wanted. They grabbed their lunch boxes and looked at Jessica who was still sleeping. They couldn't believe that someone could sleep for that long. They approached her and asked her if she was coming.

"I'm not coming. You go ahead."

"Why? Is Jonghyun here?" Yoona asked.

"What does it look like to you?" Jessica said with her head still down. Yoona and Seohyun just stared at her and left for the cafeteria. Jessica slept and slept.

Until someone tapped her shoulder…

It was Yuri! Yuri entered their classroom and tapped Jessica on the shoulder just when she was about to fall into a deep sleep again.

"Hey! Someone's looking for you." Yuri said.

"_Great! Who could it be this time?"_ Jessica thought. She groggily got up with a frustrated and sleepy look on her face. She exited the classroom and a huge surprise greeted her.

It was Jonghyun! And Jessica's sleepiness disappeared. Jonghyun looked at her and pursed his lips together to smile his signature smile. He was wearing a purple polo and a white shirt underneath, match it with baggy denim pants. Jonghyun's Ray Bans were clipped on the collar of his shirt.

"Oh My God! I thought you wouldn't come!"

"I thought so, too. I came from a party and I went to the mall."

"Why did you go to the mall?"

"Wait here…" Jonghyun swiftly entered their classroom and came out with a big, blue gift bag in his hand. Jessica covered her mouth in shock. It was as if he proposed to her.

"Oh My Fucking…" Jessica took the big, blue gift bag by the rope handles and shook her head in excitement. "Thank you so much."

"That's why I couldn't come early. I went to the mall to buy you that. Merry Christmas and advanced happy monthsary!" he greeted with his signature grin.

"Thanks…oh my…I love you." Jessica shyly walked back to her classroom

"I love you, too." Jonghyun replied.

"I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah. See you. I love you."

"I love you, too." Jessica closed the door and quickly placed the bag behind her chair. She thought her friends wouldn't notice but she was dead wrong.

"So he came after all."

"Yeah he did."

"Wow. Why'd he get you that?"

"Christmas and monthsary. Long story."

Lunch time was over (Jessica spent 30 minutes sleeping and 10 minutes staring at Jonghyun) and everything was back to normal. Jessica couldn't wait to talk to Jonghyun after school. It was their last day before the winter break and Jessica wanted to make the most of it. She was inattentive all throughout the lesson and kept on looking out the window, waiting for Jonghyun. Finally, the bell rang and everyone yelled, threw their books and papers in the air. Jessica breathed a sigh of relief as she went around hugging everyone. Seohyun and Yoona excitedly bade her goodbye but Jessica just couldn't bring herself to be happy. She knew it was time for her to be missing Jonghyun and that was something she just couldn't bear. Not wanting to waste another minute, she ran to the next classroom while her friends were busy gathering their things and getting ready to go home. Jessica knocked on the door and peered through the windows but saw no Jonghyun. Just then, someone came up behind her and covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" the students from the other section cheered and squealed.

"This is Key." Jessica coyly said though she knew it wasn't.

"No."

"Alexander?"

"No. It's obvious, Jessica." the person who covered her eyes removed his hands from them.

And the obvious it was. Jonghyun.

"You going home now?" asked Jessica.

"Nope. I'm gonna go with you. We'll wait for your mom to pick you up."

"Oh." Jessica shyly and quietly replied. "Thanks."

"You're very welcome. Now come on, let's go outside." Jonghyun and Jessica walked all the way to the porch of their school. Students were excitedly coming out of the building with their backpacks on their backs and wide grins on their faces. Jessica and Jonghyun gazed at the skies and watched as frozen rain called snow fell from them.

"It's on the 26th right?" Jessica asked. "Have you forgotten?"

"Nope. How could I forget?" Jonghyun replied with a smile. A red car parked right in front of the building. It was Jessica's mom. Jessica hurriedly gathered her things, including the big blue bag that Jonghyun gave her and rushed to her mother's car, bidding Jonghyun goodbye.

That was the start of their winter break and the start of Jessica's misery. As soon as Jessica got home, she opened the present that was given to her by Jonghyun. It was a blue teddy bear. A baby blue teddy bear in the exact shade she liked. She thought it was cute and hugged it until she fell asleep in bed.

Their winter break started on the 20th of December. Christmas is on the 25th. Their first month together is on the 26th. So from the 20th to the 25th, Jessica did nothing but think about Jonghyun and text him. Jonghyun would text her too, especially in the morning when she wakes up and at night before she goes to bed.

Finally, on the night of the 26th, Jessica heard her phone ringing. She checked the number and saw that it wasn't on her contacts list. Though doubtful, she answered it nonetheless.

"Hello?"

"Hello." came the deep voice from the other line. Jessica got scared.

"Hello who is this?"

"This is Jonghyun." said the guy on the other line. Jessica gasped in shock.

"For real?"

"Yes. Didn't you receive my text."

"I haven't."

"This is Jonghyun."

"Please let me know you're not shitting me. This isn't Jonghyun. The voice is different."

"This is Jonghyun. My voice is a bit raspy so my voice is different. Anyways, how are you and what are you doing?"

"Oh nothing. I'm just hanging out here in my room. How about you?"

"I'm here outside of my cousin's house. I'm using my cousin's phone, actually. We're having a get together."

"That's nice."

"Have you eaten your dinner?"

"Yeah."

"What time did you eat?"

"12:00 nn."

"Noontime? Jessica, that's lunch. I'm asking about dinner."

"I didn't eat dinner."

"Jessica, you have to eat…" Jonghyun scolded with a loving tone.

"Or else what?" Jessica teased back.

"Or else, I'm gonna come over and feed you." Jonghyun loved doing that to Jessica. Jessica and Jonghyun just laughed it off. The two talked about everything, how much they missed each other, their plans for the future, and the like. Jessica then realized that her voice was getting louder and her mother-who was just in the other room-could hear her so she got up and locked herself inside her bathroom.

"I'm in my bathroom right now. My mom's next room and I think she heard what we were talking about."

"Oh so you're in the bathroom. No wonder there's some sort of echo."

"Yep. Say, your cousin was asking about us."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He wanted to know about our relationship."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him about it."

"Oh. No wonder he's been texting me."

"Exactly!" Jessica sat down on the toilet seat with the cover down. "Guess what I'm doing."

"You're in the bathroom right? Still there? I can hear your echo!"

"Yep. I'm still in the bathroom. So guess what I'm doing."

"Hmm…if I have to make a guess, I'd say you're sitting on the toilet seat with the cover down and your legs crossed, am I right?" Jonghyun said.

"Yes." Jessica answered shocked. "How did you know?"

"Don't you think I know you all too well by now?" Jessica smirked at his witty reply. That was his best trait. He was always a step ahead of her, proving how smart he really was.

"Yeah right. Fine! You're the smart one!" Jessica teased. She started to suffocate in the bathroom and stepped out. She lay on her bed once more and talked to Jonghyun about anything under the sun.

After two hours on the phone, Jonghyun needed to go.

"Jessica, I really need to go. Someone's calling me."

"Aww. Please don't go."

"Jessica, I really have to. This isn't my phone."

"Aww. Okay."

"I'm leaving at one in the morning. Wanna come?"

"1 in the morning? Are you crazy? I still look haggard and ugly at that time."

"Haggard and ugly? You're very beautiful. No matter what other people say. No matter what you say. To me, you're the most beautiful girl in the world." Jonghyun said.

"You're so sweet. And because of that, you can go."

"I'll pick you up at one!"

"No!" Jessica giggled loudly.

"Just kidding. Bye Jess. I love you."

"I love you too." Jessica hung up. That was the best two hours of her life. After that, she turned her phone off, hugged her bear and shut the lights. Jessica wanted to sleep right away while Jonghyun's voice was still echoing in her head.


	11. Problems

One night, Jessica and her mother were talking about random things. About love, life, and the future.

"I heard you told your father you didn't want to go to America anymore, is that true?"

"Yes." Jessica noticed the cold and angry expression on her mother's face. She smelled trouble.

"Why did you say that?"

"Because I have friends here and I don't want to leave them. I'm gonna miss them." Jessica lied. She had other reasons why she didn't want to leave.

"You're bluffing, Jessica Jung." her mother said. "I know you have some other reason. Tell me the truth."

"That is the truth. I don't want to leave my friends."

"Are you and Jonghyun together?" That's when Jessica fell silent. She just stopped talking and stared at the walls.

"Yes." she finally came up with her answer. Jessica's mother looked at her sternly and was just about ready to get angry but when Jessica began to tear up at her own mistakes, Jessica's mother opted not to scream at her.

"Didn't I tell you not to say yes to him."

"Yes, you told me."

"Why did you?"

"Because I really like him, mom. I really love Jonghyun and I know that he feels the same way too."

"So this is why you don't want to leave for America? You're willing to swap your father's hard work for that guy? You're willing to give up on your college dreams and writing ambitions for that guy? Jessica Jung Soo Yeon you must be out of your mind! That guy cannot provide you with anything! He cannot promise you anything! All he wants from you is to have sex with you and once you're pregnant, what does he do? He leaves you hanging with a huge bump in your stomach and with all your dreams crushed!"

"That's not true!" Jessica defended, yelling and crying at the same time. "That's not freaking true! Jonghyun is not like that!"

"Jonghyun is controlling your life, don't you see? He's stopping you from going to America and doing what you want to do!"

"He's not stopping me. He never stopped me from doing what I want to do! Jonghyun frequently encourages me. It's just me who doesn't want to leave him."

"Break up with him." her mother sternly ordered. "I'm not preventing you from seeing him or hanging out with him or being friends with him. He can still be your prom date but no commitments."

"That's hard to do!" Jessica said.

"What's hard to do?"

"Breaking up!"

"No it's not. All you have to do is say it nicely and it'll all fall into place!"

"Easy for you to say! Your heart is made of iron and steel! You don't have any feelings! You don't know what it feels like to be loved for the first time. Of all the guys in school, how many are as nice to me as Jonghyun? Tell me how many!"

"Stop overreacting, Jessica! This is your first time-"

"It's my first time and I want to make it worthwhile."

"But it's not the right time. Give it up. You'll find much better guys out there."

"I don't care about the other 'better' guys out there!" Jessica answered while weeping. "Because Jonghyun's the best guy that has ever come into my life."

"How many guys have come into your life and you said that?"

Jessica fell silent once more. Their argument was heating up and Jessica was getting weaker and weaker physically. She was very sleepy and her eyes were all cried out.

"Well if you think Jonghyun is the one for you then get out of this house now!" Jessica's mom angrily pointed at the door. "Get out of here now and live with him! Let's see if your life won't crumble down!" Jessica left the dining room and went up to her room, locked herself in and hugged the teddy bear that Jonghyun gave her. She badly needed his protection right now. She cried herself to sleep as she thought of all the words her mother had said. This made Jessica hate her mother even more. What did she want to do? Jessica at the moment wanted to go out of their house and go to Yuri's house. Jessica was tired that night and all the crying wore her heart out. Because of that, she fell asleep as soon as she laid down.

The following day, Jessica woke up with swollen eyes. She refused to talk to her mother about anything so she hurriedly went through all her usual morning tasks before leaving for school. Once she got to school, the first thing she did was drop her things on her chair and talk to Yoona and Seohyun.

"Yoona, my mom and I fought last night." Jessica angrily told Yoona.

"About what?"

"My mom found out about me and Jonghyun." Jessica said.

"Oh my gosh! What did she say?"

"She said I should break up with him. But then I told her I didn't want to and she said that it's my call and if something bad happens, she won't be responsible for it."

"She's right." Yoona said with a straight face. "But as always, it's your life and it's your call and whatever decision you make, I'll support you."

"Thanks. You're the best." Yoona and Jessica hug. Seohyun just woke up and asked them what they were talking about. Jessica related her fight to Seohyun.

"Ah. That's usually the case when it's your first boyfriend. But if you really love him, then I think you should continue your relationship. You deserve to be happy." Seohyun said.

"Thanks. I love the two of you so much!" Jessica said. "But I don't know if it's a good thing or not because my mom was like, allowing me or letting me be but at the same time, it's like she doesn't care. So I don't know whether it's good or bad."

"Just be careful." Yoona warned. "You're still young and just because your mom said that she doesn't care doesn't mean you can go around doing what you want to do. Be careful. You don't want to ruin your life right now."

"Of course I will! Yoona! What kind of girl do you think I am?" Jessica joked.

"We'll always be here for you, Jessica." Seohyun said. Their teacher came in and Jessica went back to her seat. Classes were about to start.

For the first four periods, Jessica thought about nothing but what her mother told her. Minho, Yuri's boyfriend who was her classmate, noticed her mildly swollen eyes.

"You've been crying, haven't you?" asked Minho.

"Yeah. I cried a lot last night."

"Why?"

"My mom found out about me and Jonghyun."

"Damn! What did she say?"

"She said it was up to me but if something bad happens, she won't be responsible for us." Jessica said.

"Then good! Means your mom's cool with your relationship."

"I wouldn't say."

"Why?"

"Because it's like my mother doesn't care about me. Like it's no big deal if something happens and I don't want that. Of course, I still want my mom to look after me but…you know."

"I get what you mean. It's like, it's okay but it's not."

"Exactly. I'm telling Jonghyun later."

Physics class, the class before recess, wore on and after 40 excruciatingly boring minutes of note-copying and calculating, recess came. Minho and Jessica got up and walked to the other section's classroom. Jessica grabbed her Tupperware with her lunch to give to Yuri. Feeling more fearless now than before, she went inside the room and looked for Yuri.

"Hey! You're here with my lunch!" said Yuri happily.

"Yes I am."

"Would you like me to call Jonghyun for you?"

"Sure. I have something to tell him."

"Hold on." Yuri went inside their classroom and called Jonghyun. Jonghyun came out for Jessica and tapped her head.

"Hello Jessica." Jonghyun said.

"Jonghyun! I have some good-bad news." Jessica said excitedly. She took Jonghyun's hand and led him to the bench outside their classroom.

"What's your news?"

"My mom talked to me last night about you. She said she didn't care about our relationship so as long as we are careful…"

"Of course we'll be careful!" Jonghyun chuckled. Jessica smiled but had mixed emotions inside. She felt a bit offended because she thought Jonghyun treated it like a joke but then Jessica tried to look on the bright side and smiled. She was happy that Jonghyun was happy. "Say you want to go around for a walk?" Jonghyun asked. Jessica nodded. The two walked around the campus for the remaining 18 minutes of their recess.

"I'm so happy to have you in my life." Jessica told Jonghyun out of the blue. Jonghyun smiled and took her hand in his, kissed it and held it for a while.

"Me too." The bell rang and Jonghyun brought Jessica to their classroom but before he could leave her, he kissed her forehead. Some of Jessica's classmates saw this and teased her about it. She playfully, giggly ran into their classroom, beating the crap out of them with her hands. Their really jiggy teacher Sir Jack, their computer teacher entered the room and began to tease Jessica, making her turn all red.

"Ms. Jung, what were you doing with Mr. Kim?" Sir Jack had a funny way of addressing his students. He addressed them with a Ms. Or Mr.

"Nothing. We weren't doing anything. You didn't see anything…"Jessica explained while trying to hide her blushing. Her classmates continued to tease her.

"PDA is not allowed!" Mr. Jack playfully said. "Nah, it's okay! I won't tell anyone." Mr. Jack extended his pinky , locked it in with Jessica's for a pinky swear.

"Haha. But I swear, you didn't see anything!" Jessica insisted. Mr. Jack playfully covered his mouth and giggled to himself. The lesson in Computer then formally began.

Later that dismissal time, Jonghyun walked Jessica all the way to the front gate and waited for her mother with her.

"Are you sure your mother's coming?" asked Jonghyun when he noticed that Jessica's mother was taking longer than usual.

"Yeah." Jessica stretched her neck to see if her mother was coming. The red cars that passed by weren't that of her mother's.

"Cause if she's not then let's just walk home." Jonghyun sweetly offered.

"Aww…" Jessica gushed. "It's okay. I'll just walk home."

"No. I want you to get home safely. I'll walk with you." Suddenly, the red car comes and Jessica hurriedly bade Jonghyun goodbye. She grabbed her things and ran to the car. Jonghyun watched as she entered the car and even waited for it to pass by before going back.

In the car, Jessica and her mother had no communication. Her mother asked about school but Jessica's mind was preoccupied with Jonghyun and their 'future' together so she refused to answer, instead, answering with a nod.

"Yeah school was fine. Just the same." was her usual answer. Jessica's mother noticed her daughter's gradually changing personality and knew that something was wrong. She suspected that her daughter was still seeing Jonghyun. And she was right. Mrs. Jung knew it all along. It's just that, she didn't want to mention it to Jessica. She'd rather have her daughter learn it the hard way.

As soon as they got home, their phone rang. It was a Wednesday so it was her dad's day of calling them. Jessica's mom picked the phone up and talked to her husband who was in America. They talked and talked until he asked for his daughter to converse with him.

"Jessica! Your dad wants to talk to you!" Jessica came running down from her room and picked the phone up to talk to her dad.

"Hey dad." she said.

"Hi Jessica! How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine. Just fine. Bout you?"

"Just the same. So how's school?"

"School's okay. Just the same. Say dad, I got a few questions about college." Jessica said.

"What are those?"

"When exactly are we leaving for America? Are we gonna leave as soon as I graduate?"

"No." Jessica nearly jumped out of her seat in excitement.

"We're not?"

"We're not yet going to leave as soon as you graduate. You see we still have some papers to fix."

"Okay~" Jessica couldn't wipe the smile and excitement off her face. She was happy that she was going to spend another year with Jonghyun.

"So most likely you and your mom will be coming here in the summer of next year." This excited Jessica even more. More and more time with Jonghyun meant happiness for her.

"Oh. Okay that's good." Jessica tried hard not to show any signs of excitement which could offend her dad. "Would you like to talk to mom about this matter?"

"Yes. Take care, Sica. I love you."

"Take care too, dad. I love you. God bless." Jessica walked over to her mother's room and handed the phone to her. Her father told her mom about the news he had. That they were gonna leave for the US in the summer of next year. Jessica's mother was infuriated. Because that meant she had to enroll her daughter at the local college-the same college that Jonghyun would be studying at. That also meant additional expenditures. Jessica's mom could only groan. She could hear her father and mother arguing about her college but she didn't care. Jessica only felt bliss because she and Jonghyun would still be seeing each other next year. Graduation wouldn't be so bad after all.

That's what Jessica thought. Yes, graduation wouldn't be so bad if you weren't a temperamental nutcase like Jessica Jung.

The following day, Jessica rushed to Jonghyun's classroom and knocked on their door to tell him the good news. His classmates saw her and called Jonghyun. Jonghyun stepped out and placed a hand on Jessica's head.

"Jonghyun! We're not leaving for America this year!" Jonghyun grinned but Jessica was extremely happy. Overjoyed, even.

"Really? That's cool!"

"Exactly!" Jessica was a bit down because Jonghyun didn't show the enthusiasm she thought and expected him to show. Jonghyun took his notebook out and showed her their assignment. Jessica gave him a puzzled look.

"Say do you have answers for the assignment?" asked Jonghyun. "Cause I can't seem to figure this out."

"No." Jessica said with a semi-disappointed face.

"Aww. Anyways. I'll see you later." Jonghyun said. "Bye."

"See you later. Bye!" Jessica said shyly, happily, and cutely. As Jonghyun closed the door, Jessica walked back to their classroom shyly.

Later that break time, she headed to the same classroom with hopes of talking about the staying thing with Jonghyun. She knocked on the door shyly and once it was opened for her, she slowly entered the classroom. Jonghyun saw her and took her hand, led her to his place.

"You're still so shy?" he asked sweetly. Jessica smiled at him and held his hand. Jonghyun held her hand in return.

"So I'm not going to the US anymore." Jessica said with a very soft voice. "We're leaving next year."

"Next year? Why? The end of the world?" Jonghyun playfully said.

"It's not the end of the world next year." Jessica rolled her eyes at Jonghyun's immaturity. "Only God knows when the world will end."

"It will. It will…" Jonghyun repeated with a childish grin on his face.

"So anyways, I'm staying here for another year so that means our relationship can continue. Aren't you happy?" she asked noticing the lack of enthusiasm in Jonghyun.

"Yes I am."

"Where are you studying?" she asked.

"I'm not sure…"

"But you said…"

"I'm not sure…" he turned to his best friend Key. "Where am I studying again?" And the two started joking around. Jessica was very hot headed and this pissed her off. The bell rang and she stood up frustrated and walked out of their classroom without saying goodbye to Jonghyun. She entered their own classroom with an angry expression on her face. Seohyun and Yoona saw this.

"I hate stupid boys!" she told them. Yoona and Seohyun were surprised because never had they seen Jessica this angry before. Because of Jonghyun.

"What happened?" asked Yoona and Seohyun.

"I think he's not serious about me." Jessica cried. "I asked him very decent questions and he answered back with a joke. And when I told him that I'm not leaving for America, he didn't even react. As if it was no big deal for him."

"Why is he being like that to you?" Yoona asked. "He should be serious if he wants your relationship to work."

"It's okay. Just talk to him later." Seohyun said.

"It's very annoying because he's always like that. He's not serious and he has no initiative." Jessica went back to her seat and took a nap. Her seatmate just looked at her and ignored her, opting to sleep too.

Later that lunch time, the bell rang. Jessica groggily got up and waited for Minho to finish copying and completing his notes.

"Jessica, let's go to the other section's classroom." Minho said. Jessica nodded and took her Tupperware with her. She was gonna give it to Yuri and Minho. When Jessica entered the room, she had her head held high and her pride worn proudly. She scanned the room for Jonghyun and was disappointed when she couldn't find him. Instead, she sat with Hyomin, Eunjung, and Ga Yoon who were eating quietly.

"Hi. Can I sit with you three?" asked Jessica. Ga Yoon said yes.

"So how are you and Jonghyun?"

"I'm not talking to him." Jessica coldly said. "He's not gonna be serious about anything then fine! I'm not talking to him." Minutes later, Jonghyun entered the classroom and saw Jessica sitting with Ga Yoon. He recognized her jacket from a distance and placed his hand on her head. Jessica responded coldly by not reacting to his touch. Jonghyun wondered why Jessica was like this so he sat down beside her and talked to her.

"Jessica why have you been acting so coldly?" Jonghyun asked while opening his Tupperware.

"Because you're not serious." Jessica grunted.

"What do you mean I'm not serious?" Jonghyun said. Jessica gave him a cold look and stood from where she was seated and sat in a chair from across the room. Jonghyun followed her and sat next to her.

"Jessica, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Jessica replied in a cold manner.

"I can't eat if you're gonna be like that. Let's fix this thing first, Jessica." Jonghyun asked disappointedly.

"I think you're not serious in this relationship. I mean, I asked you a very decent question and you answer me with a joke! If I can't trust you with little things, what more with big things? What so in the future when I ask you if we still have any money left in the bank you answer me with a joke? That's what I'm most frustrated about!"

"Why do you feel that way?" Jonghyun asked. "Don't you trust me?"

"I can't trust you if you're gonna be like that."

"All I want is for you to be happy. I don't want you to get bored with me that's why I crack jokes so you'll be happy and smile all the time because nothing makes me happier than seeing you smile." Jonghyun explained. Jessica nodded. Silence enveloped them for a couple of minutes.

"Unless you want a boyfriend that's super serious." Jonghyun said.

"No. No that's not what I want. I just want you to know your place. You should know when you're supposed to joke and when you're supposed to be serious." Jessica said. "Because of that, it's got me thinking that you're not serious about me and you're just using me." Jessica stood up and sat with Yuri, leaving Jonghyun sitting by himself. Yuri and Doojoon overheard their conversation and tried to rescue the new couple's relationship.

"Jessica don't pressure him too much." Yuri said.

"Yeah. Don't you know that he loves you so much?" asked Doojoon

"He doesn't show it. He's too…"

"That's his nature. He really likes cracking jokes."

"Well they're not funny!" Jessica stated firmly.

"But if you were only here during class hours, he'd tell us all about you. He never gets tired of talking about you and he's really proud to have you as his girlfriend. So never doubt him, okay."

"And if he didn't love you, would he buy you the teddy bear that he gave you last Christmas?" asked Yuri.

"Exactly. So remove all negative feelings about him and make up. You guys deserve to be happy. And don't rush things in. Your relationship is still fresh and new." Doojoon said. Jessica smiled, convinced, and walked up to Jonghyun. She tapped him on the shoulder and embraced him. She felt him embrace her back. The two embraced tightly like it was their last embrace. Jonghyun stroked Jessica's hair and buried his head into her neck.

"Sorry for being so mean to you." Jessica whispered while stroking his hair.

"It's okay. I understand."

"I hope this'll be our first and last argument." Jessica continued.

"Yes. I hope so, too." The next few minutes were silent but filled with love. The two never let go of each other and just continued to embrace, stroking each other's backs. Jonghyun pulled Jessica closer and kissed her cheek. He slowly moved down to her neck, kissing it continuously which made Jessica softly squeal.

"Are you kissing me?" she whispered. She didn't get an answer from Jonghyun verbally but the movement of his head on her neck suggested a yes.

"No. I'm not." Jonghyun playfully denied. Jessica kissed the back of his shoulder and allowed him to enclose her in his arms. Jessica stopped moving but breathed heavily, trying to make Jonghyun feel her breathing. Jonghyun felt this and it made him hug her even tighter. The bell suddenly rang and the two had to break apart.

"Shit. It's time. I don't want to go yet." Jessica pouted. Jonghyun found this cute and pinched her cheeks.

"I don't want you to go either but I don't want you to get into trouble. Go now baby!" Jonghyun said. Jessica pouted once more and kissed him before getting up to leave for their classroom with Minho.

"Had fun there?" asked Minho jokingly.

"Yeah." Jessica and Minho entered the classroom together without the teacher noticing. They sat in their respective seats and acted like nothing happened. Minho was a bit disappointed because things between him and Yuri weren't going great. Jessica, on the other hand, was just so happy because she and Jonghyun were able to sort their problem out.


	12. I'll Back Off So You Can Live

**Because of the small argument that Jessica and Jonghyun had the previous day, Jessica's mind started to fill itself with doubts. The first apology wasn't enough to convince Jessica that Jonghyun wasn't using her and that he was really serious. The sweetness started to turn into bitterness overtime. Slowly but surely, Jessica began to feel suspicious and paranoid. Though she and Jonghyun were still very much sweet, too sweet even, Jessica couldn't get the paranoia off her system. She wanted to give Jonghyun all her love and prove to him that she loved him truly but something was holding her back.**

**That something-paranoia-started to eat Jessica alive. It also contributed to the slight deterioration of their once sickeningly sweet relationship. Jonghyun stopped taking initiative and just stayed in his classroom. Though they had been doing this since, it hurt Jessica to a certain extent because whenever she'd go to their classroom, Jonghyun would be playing chess, reading a book, or using his notebook laptop. **

**A few weeks after their first fight, Jessica found herself unprepared for the next fight…an even bigger one. **

**Jessica did the usual going to their classroom. She knocked on the door and was warmly welcomed by Jonghyun's classmates. She looked everywhere for Jonghyun and found him seated with his friends, his nose in a book. Jessica thought Jonghyun knew she was there so she waited for him to come to her. While waiting, she sat with Key, Jonghyun's best friend. Key was silently eating by himself when Jessica sat next to him and began to speak to him.**

"**Hi Key!" Jessica greeted with her small, nasal voice. **

"**Hello." Key greeted back.**

"**Wow! I see you're eating very little." Jessica said. "Sticking to your diet?"**

"**Yes. Hey! Where's Jonghyun?"**

"**He's there." Jessica pointed at Jonghyun's group of friends. Jonghyun was still there reading his book. It's been 10 minutes and Jonghyun still hadn't gotten up to approach Jessica. This pissed her off so she decided to get up and walk out of their classroom. She knew it wasn't her classroom so she didn't throw a fit by banging the door. Instead, she walked with her head held high, with all the coldness and attitude in the world back to their classroom. As soon as she got in, Yoona and Seohyun were the first to notice the not so happy look on her face.**

"**What happened to you?" asked Yoona. Seohyun wanted to ask the same thing but since Yoona already asked her, she just kept her mouth shut. **

"**Jonghyun is such an asshole!" Jessica yelled. "I was there in their classroom for 20 minutes and he didn't even mind me. I sat there and looked like an idiot for 20 minutes. That's why I hate him! He doesn't have initiative! He's an asshole!" Jessica began to cry. Just a few weeks after their first fight they had another one and this time, Jessica was crying. Her friends tried to comfort her as she tried to explain her side.**

"**Talk to him, Jessica." Seohyun said. "If you want your relationship to work you better talk to him."**

"**I don't care about him. He's not serious and all he does is ignore me. He's not worth it. I hate him! I hate him so much!" Jessica wept while explaining and trying to wipe the tears from her face. HyoYeon, Jessica's thesis paper partner saw her crying and rushed to her.**

"**Oh my gosh! What happened to you?" asked HyoYeon. She sat next to Jessica who wept and wept, to the point that she was nearly hyperventilating. HyoYeon caressed Jessica's hair and waited for her to explain. **

"**Jonghyun…"Jessica said in between muffled sounds. "I went to their classroom and he totally ignored me. I waited for him for 20 minutes and he didn't even approach me. He's such a dick! That's all he does. He always expects me to come to him. He won't take the initiative to talk to me and actually do something for me. It's always me, me, me! I really want to break up with him now!" Jessica wept even more. HyoYeon, Seohyun, and Yoona hugged her. Time came and everyone came back in the classroom. They all saw Jessica crying her heart out and made a big deal out of it. **

"**Jessica Jung?"**

"**Jessica Jung why are you crying?"**

"**Oh my God! Jessica's crying again!"**

"**Aww…No more JongSica." **

"**What happened to JongSica?"**

**They all made noise. They kept on asking her what was wrong and kept on teasing her, praying that the so-called "favorite love team of the year" wouldn't break up. **

"**It's over! I hate him! I'm not talking to him." Jessica stood up and stormed out of the classroom. General Algebra was their next subject but since they had some projects to do, the teacher opted to give them the two periods for the project making. Jessica went to the restroom by herself and washed her face. Seohyun and Yoona went to the other section's classroom and called for Jonghyun.**

"**Yes? Hey Jessica didn't come over. Where is she?" Jonghyun asked innocently.**

"**Jonghyun, Jessica's flipping angry right now. She said you ignored her and didn't mind her." Yoona said.**

"**What? Why?" Jessica overheard this and ran out of the bathroom. The sight of Jonghyun made her curse in anger. Right in front of the Faculty Room.**

"**Goddamn you, you son of a bitch!" she yelled out loud while slapping Jonghyun's arm repeatedly. Jonghyun confusedly cringed and looked at her with a disappointed facial expression. **

"**What the he-"**

"**Shut up!" Jessica growled."What am I to you, huh? You don't have the initiative, you lazy son of a bitch! What am I to you? A piece of shit you could waste your time on? Tell me!" Jessica yelled.**

"**I didn't see you. What the hell is your problem?" Jonghyun asked innocently.**

"**Shut up! Don't waste my time. Go away!" Jessica walked away from him. Jonghyun followed her but she continued to walk further away from him. **

"**Jessica, please-"**

"**Go away. Stop wasting my time." Jessica entered the classroom and slammed the door close. Jonghyun rubbed his forehead and walked away. Inside the classroom, Jessica sat in her chair and wept. She wept and wept, so hard that the others couldn't help but notice. Minho placed an arm around her and said,**

"**Boys like that are immature, Jessica. Don't worry about them. You'll meet more handsome boys in college. Let him go, Jessica." Jessica ignored Minho's advice and just cried. Taecyeon heard her crying and comforted her. He tapped her head slightly and placed his hands on her shoulder, a small attempt to comfort her. Jessica just wouldn't stop crying.**

**A few minutes later, Jonghyun called for Jessica. Jessica stepped out angrily, trying to wipe her tears away.**

"**What do you want?" asked Jessica.**

"**Jessica, let's talk about this."**

"**What's there to talk about?"**

"**Jessica, let's fix this thing." **

"**If you're not gonna have initiative then this thing's not worth fixing. Might as well just break up with me."**

"**I get what you're saying Jessica. You want me to break up with you. Am I right?"**

"**That's what you want, right? You see me as a burden. You can't do the things that you want to do because you have someone to care for and look after. That's why."**

"**Jessica-"**

"**You see me as a burden. So go ahead. Leave me now. So you can enjoy your life." **

"**Jessica." Jonghyun refused to let her go. He grabbed her hand just as soon as she was about to leave. He pulled her closer to him and talked to her. Jessica just stared at him, straight into his eyes.**

"**If I knew you were a burden, would I have courted you in the first place?" the two were talking right in front of Jonghyun's classroom. Many of Jonghyun's classmates looked on as Jonghyun and Jessica attempt to reconcile. Jonghyun's words made Jessica realize that he was right and that she was just being too emotional. Knowing this, Jessica flashed a smile and took Jonghyun's hand.**

"**Sorry for being too emotional. I made a big deal out of something seemingly harmless and unintentional. I hope you forgive me and try to understand my attitude. We have our shortcomings, you know." Jessica explained.**

"**Sorry for not being able to match your expectations. I'm still young and I'm not quite sure yet but I'm sure of one thing. I really love you, Jessica." Jonghyun said. The two looked at each other into the eyes even longer and smiled. They both laughed and hugged. **

"**I'm sorry…"Jessica said using her cute second voice.**

"**It's okay. I love you…"Jonghyun whispered in her hair. They broke apart and Jonghyun took Jessica's hand. **

"**Come on, we're not doing anything today. Let's go to our classroom." he led her to their room. His classmates were so happy that they made up. Jessica was grinning from ear to ear. The two pulled chairs and sat next to each other.**

"**My eyes are burning…" Jessica whined cutely.**

"**That's your fault! You keep on crying." Jonghyun teased her. Jessica cutely pouted in front of him. He pinched her cheeks and hugged her for a short while. Jessica just kept on smiling. Her head was spinning and her eyes were burning because of all her crying and all the stress that she put on herself. Jonghyun put an arm around her and massaged her shoulder. Because of all the pressure on her body (add that Jessica didn't eat lunch), she just laid her head on Jonghyun's shoulder. Jonghyun lowered his head and began to kiss Jessica. **

"**What are you two doing?" asked the Physics teacher that was in their classroom. It was their free time but they got caught doing what they were doing. Upon hearing the teacher's voice, they broke apart and faced each other. **

"**Sorry, Ma'am." Jessica apologized from under her breath. "I was just sleeping." Jonghyun and Jessica kept on giggling while trying to hide their faces from the teacher.**

"**Class, I'm allowing you to do whatever you want to do but don't be abusing my kindness." said the Physics teacher. Jessica lovingly scolded Jonghyun before leaving the classroom.**

"**This is your fault." the two giggled as Jonghyun led Jessica to her classroom where they were also having free time. It was the annual Science Week and everyone had to prepare. **

"**Hahaha. We got too cozy back there." Jonghyun said.**

"**I know. It's your fault!" she poked his arm. He poked her rib and tickled her while walking to her classroom. Minho, who was also in the other section's classroom, bade Yuri goodbye and walked with Jessica.**

"**Jessica, next time please be careful!" Minho warned. "One more act like that and we could get banned from going to the other section's classroom."**

"**My head was aching and I just rested on his shoulder." Jessica reasoned out.**

"**Next time please be careful." Minho said. "When there's a teacher in the room, you better watch your movements. Cause if the teacher sees you and the two of you are in a very…uhm…affectionate position, you two could get sent to the Office of Discipline." **

"**And that smells like trouble." Jessica said.**

"**Exactly! Just be careful next time, okay!" Minho said. They entered the classroom and spent time with their friends.**

**Later dismissal time, Jessica went to the other section's classroom and looked for her tupperware which she gave to Yuri. She saw Jonghyun inside and asked him to help her look for it. **

"**Is this it?" he put up the Tupperware that was Jessica's. Jessica smiled and grabbed it from him. There was still some Spam left so they decided to eat it.**

"**All that crying made me so hungry." Jessica said.**

"**See! It's because you don't eat." Jonghyun pinched her cheeks and kissed them. **

"**You know what Jonghyun, I'mma tell you something."**

"**What's that?"**

"**I want you to be my first and last. If ever we don't get married or if this thing fails, I will not have another boyfriend." Jonghyun felt butterflies and sparks in his body. **

"**Say I gotta go now, Jessica. I still have to look after my younger sister." **

"**Okay. Take care. I'll go with you." Jessica and Jonghyun walked to the gate where Jonghyun usually exited. There she waited for the bus that Jonghyun usually rode on to get home. **

"**Bye, Jonghyun." Jessica said as soon as she saw the bus. **

"**Bye. Take care of yourself." he kissed her cheek. Jessica smiled and waved goodbye at Jonghyun. Minutes after the bus left, Jessica's mom came and picked her up. **

**For that particular month, Jonghyun and Jessica never fought again. All they did was spend happy times together, sweetly caring for each other. Until one day, Jessica just felt really annoyed and was convinced that something was wrong. **

**She went to the other section's classroom as she always did. It had become her routine since December. As she shyly entered the classroom empty handed, as she didn't eat her lunch, she saw Jonghyun playing chess with Choi Siwon, the Student Council president and the tallest guy in their batch. She tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around with a smile on his face. Jessica sat next to him with her notebook. **

"**I'll just finish this game, okay dear?" he said.**

"**Okay. Take your time." Jessica sounded calm but deep down inside, she was jealous of chess. Chess had more attention from Jonghyun than her. She just noticed that ever since their fight, Jonghyun had become more and more drawn to other things and started giving her little importance. Jessica just wrote her thoughts down, random thoughts down in her notebook. Jonghyun peered from time to time at what she was doing but she closed her notebook each time he would and tell him to continue doing what he was doing.**

"**You seem irritable today." Jonghyun said. "Is something wrong, baby?"**

**Jessica just pouted. She nodded later on.**

"**What's wrong? Tell me." Jonghyun pinched her cheek. Jessica pouted even more.**

"**Later." She closed her notebook and rested her head on the table to sleep. Jonghyun patted her head and continued playing chess. Jonghyun won the game and Siwon stood up to leave him and his girlfriend alone. Jessica still pretended to sleep with her head on the table. **

"**Jessica, I'll just go downstairs to check on something. I'll be back." he patted her head and went on his way. Jessica lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. Yuri and Minho then entered the classroom.**

"**Hey! Where's Jonghyun?" asked Yuri who took her tupperware out of the lunchbox.**

"**I don't know." Jessica said. She just continued to write in her notebook. She wrote her name. Over and over again. Then she wrote other names. Names she made up. She then wrote her friends' names and Jaebum's name. She also wrote random song lyrics. Jessica felt tears in her eyes. Once again she was crying yet she didn't know why. She just felt something was wrong in their relationship though everything was going perfectly well. Jonghyun didn't think that way, though. Jonghyun thought everything was perfect just the way it was.**

**Jessica thought differently. Her paranoia was eating her up again and it prevented her from enjoying the relationship she was in. Hell, it prevented her from sleeping well at night. It prevented her from going home with a smile on her face. Jessica was just too paranoid. **

**She knew Jonghyun well. She knew he was very friendly with girls and that sort of pissed her off. The ideal boyfriend, to Jessica, was Minho. Minho cared about nobody else but Yuri. Minho would sometimes go out of his way, sometimes as far as accumulating 15 tardy reports just to wait for Yuri so they could go to school together. Minho would take note of his parents' schedules and let Yuri come over when they're gone. Minho would stay up til 1:00 am just to talk to Yuri on the phone. Minho would do anything for Yuri. He'd wait on her. Forever and a day. **

**But Jonghyun? What was Jonghyun like to Jessica? Well for starters he was sweet and all but that was about it. Jessica felt used because she thought she was just for show. For experiment. All because Jonghyun was curious. He had no initiative, as previously mentioned. He had no knowledge about being in a relationship. Jessica had to do everything for him. She would go to their classroom and call him, remind him that she was already there and sometimes she'd find him still playing chess or doing something else. He wasn't the "drop everything and attend to my girlfriend" kind of guy. And for this, Jessica felt like she was a burden, matter of fact, she was convinced that she was a burden. She didn't have to question it. All she was to Jonghyun was a chore. Something that he had to do because Jessica constantly reminded him. Jonghyun was just in it for the fun. There was no depth in their relationship and she felt that he didn't want this as much as she did. Jessica, God if you only knew what Jessica had in mind and in heart for Jonghyun. If you don't, here's the lay out for you.**

**From the first day they became a couple, Jessica thought of the future. She thought and thought about the future. She knew she was leaving for the US so she wanted them to carry on by going on a long distance relationship and she'd come back for him. Jonghyun had the same vision in the beginning but only. And Jessica knew that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise because if he couldn't show seriousness in their relationship as early as now, what more when she leaves for the US? She couldn't trust him, that's for sure. **

**Jonghyun came back later than expected, Jessica's inner mood went up but her outer mood went down. (Inner mood is what she's really feeling; outer mood is what she pretends to feel) She was happy but Jonghyun saw her sad so most likely just stay sad. **

"**Are you okay?" Jessica pretended to wipe her tears.**

"**No. But it's okay, don't worry about me." Jessica said. **

"**What's wrong. Please tell me." Jonghyun pleaded.**

"**Just between me and my mom." Jessica lied. Her and her mom? Is she crazy? She and her mom are getting along just fine. She's got no problem in the family. It's just that, she didn't want her and Jonghyun to fight again. Well they didn't because right when he saw her so sad, he did all in his power to comfort her. He hugged her and stroked her hair while she rested her head on his shoulder. A few minutes later, she looked up, pulled away and kissed her boyfriend.**

"**I'm okay now."**

"**You're okay now? You sure?"**

"**Yes." Jessica said with a reassuring smile. Jonghyun smiled back but coughed and coughed. Jessica tapped his chest but Jonghyun, the ever playful Jonghyun, grabbed her hand and tried to place it under his shirt. Jessica laughed, giggled, and tried to pull away.**

"**What are you doing?"**

"**I'm just trying to get you to heal me." he said.**

"**That's not healing! That's bad!"**

"**No it's not! What's good and what's bad, huh?" Jonghyun asked playfully.**

"**Shut up!" the two started tickling each other. Jonghyun then leaned forward and kissed Jessica on the cheek.**

"**No wonder I get sick a lot! I get it from you!" she said.**

"**It's because you kiss me a lot, is that right?" Jonghyun pulled her into his embrace. As soon as they broke apart, the bell rang and Jessica and Minho had to go back to their respective classrooms. **

"**Bye, I love you." Jessica kissed Jonghyun once more. **

**As soon as Jessica got back to the classroom, her mood sank once more. She still wasn't convinced. Why wasn't she convinced? Because she never told Jonghyun the real reason behind her tears. She didn't tell Jonghyun what she was REALLY crying about. It wasn't about her mother. It was about him. She didn't want to let him know that she didn't trust him enough because she was afraid that it would ruin their relationship. Instead, she swallowed it all and pulled through the pain. **

**Later that afternoon, Jessica opted not to wait for Jonghyun who was busy training for this Math Contest that he joined. Jessica felt that Jonghyun wasn't taking her seriously (again) and that Jonghyun only saw her as a burden so she decided to go home by herself. Her mother wasn't around so that meant walking from school to home. She walked that short distance which seemed very long because she had a lot in mind. She kept thinking about Jonghyun and comparing their relationship with the other couples in their batch. Minho and Yuri. Their relationship has already been elaborated. Ga Yoon and Taeyang. Taeyang was very controlling and abusive but Ga Yoon was patient enough to deal with it. But you can see that Taeyang really loved Ga Yoon though he was overprotective and controlling. But Jonghyun…it was as if all he wanted was fun and touching. Jessica wanted more than just that. She needed trust, commitment, and real love, not just kissing and hugging. She felt that his love for her wasn't as deep as her love for him. It was as if he didn't want it, as said, as much as she did. **

**Because of thinking too much, Jessica didn't realize that she was already in front of their house. She shook her head and took her keys from her pocket to open the door. Jessica stressfully dropped her things and ran to her room where she closed the door, put on some sad ballad and cried herself to sleep, the way she always did whenever she and Jonghyun would have a fight. Jessica forgot that she still hadn't locked the doors so she went back downstairs to lock them, all the while tears were flowing down her face. Jessica wiped them from time to time and rushed back upstairs to cry herself to sleep. Fortunately, she did fall asleep and didn't even notice her mother enter the house. **

**She woke up at around 6:30 am. It was Friday but since that day was dedicated to the Math Contest and other Science and Math related things, Jessica opted not to go to school. She would rather stay home. **

**Later that day, she still couldn't stop thinking about Jonghyun. Matter of fact, the thoughts she had yesterday were still the thoughts she had now. **

**Jessica cried for 6 days straight…all because of the same thing. **


	13. Preprom and Prom

XIII. Pre-Prom and Prom

The Prom was only in a few weeks and Jessica had everything planned. From the gown that she was gonna wear to the hair style that she was gonna do, everything was in order. Except for one thing-her date.

Another reason why Jessica cried for 6 days straight was because Jonghyun told her that he still hadn't paid for the prom and that he still hadn't picked a suit out yet. To the ever paranoid Jessica, it meant that he wasn't sure if he was going or not. Jessica also noticed that he wasn't as excited for the prom as she was. A sure sign that he didn't enjoy and didn't want to enjoy her company.

Jessica felt cheated on and felt that everything was just gonna go to waste. From her 1000 won dress to her 10000 won shoes. Everything. What's the use of looking pretty if you won't be taking your boyfriend to the prom, right? Jessica refused to open the topic because she might appear desperate to Jonghyun so instead, she told Key about it.

That day, Jonghyun was absent which made Jessica miss him even more. Nonetheless, she told Yoona and Seohyun that she would go to the other section's classroom to talk with Key. Key welcomed her and led her to his place.

"Where's Jonghyun?" asked Ga Yoon. Jessica looked at her with a smile and shrugged. Ga Yoon's eyes widened in shock. She smiled at her once again and turned to eat with Key over at the corner. Key and Jessica began to converse while eating.

"So what's up between you and Jonghyun."

"I think Jonghyun's not serious about me. Let me ask you something Key, do you think Jonghyun's just using me?"

"Honestly." Key tried to swallow the sandwich piece that he was chewing. "I think he's just using you. Because whenever you come in here, he'd be playing chess or he'd ignore you. He doesn't put you first. That's what I think." Jessica began to tear up at his words. She bowed her head and let the tears silently drip on the table. Key-not wanting his classmates to see this and think that he's breaking them up-lightly patted Jessica's back.

"I want to go back to the classroom, now. Thanks for comforting me, Key." Jessica said.

"No problem. You're my friend, that's why. I hate seeing you sad." Key said with all sincerity in his eyes. Jessica looked at him and smiled. "Come on, I'll bring you to your classroom." Jessica and Key stood up, walked to the other room and Jessica even let Key in. Key was the shy type so being in a different environment felt awkward for him. Nonetheless, Jessica invited him to join along and talk with her friends. She led him to Seohyun and Yoona who were talking in their seats.

"Oh!" Yoona must've noticed Jessica's teary, red eyes. Jessica tried to smile but it was evident on her face that she just came from crying. Key sat right next to her.

"Hi Key~" Yoona said with a cute voice. Key looked at her and smiled.

"Shut up!" he said playfully. Jessica spanked him.

"You're so mean! That's Yoona you're talking to!" Key laughed and told Jessica and Yoona that it was just a joke.

"Just kidding."

"Jessica! You came from crying. I know you just cried. Tell me what's wrong." Yoona asked worried.

"Just some family problem or something…I told Key about it, right" she elbowed Key while trying hard to cover up the real reason behind her tears. Jessica wasn't crying about her family. She always used her family as some kind of excuse so people wouldn't doubt her relationship with Jonghyun. Jonghyun was absent that day, though. And she had no plans of telling him. Or anyone. It was only between her and Key.

The following day, Jonghyun came to school. Jessica was very much relieved because she could finally be with Jonghyun. However, she was still sticking to her plan of not letting Jonghyun know about her emotional escapades with Key the previous day.

Come recess, Jessica and Minho went to the other section's classroom together. Jessica was bringing her Tupperware when she saw Jonghyun at the door. She tried to smile a very cheerful smile but deep down inside, she was burning with shame.

"Hi." she said. Jonghyun placed his hand on her head and ran his hand through her hair.

"Hello. Why were you absent?" asked Jessica. Just then, the most popular boy in their batch, Seung Ri, butted in and said,

"Hey Jonghyun! Your girlfriend was crying yesterday." that's when Jessica felt her stomach fall to the floor.

"Why were you crying?" asked Jonghyun. Jessica pouted and shook her head. Jonghyun pouted in turn and asked her again.

"You don't need to know." Jessica walked straight into their classroom. Jonghyun followed her and lead her to his place.

"Why? Please tell me. I'm your boyfriend I have the right to know." Jonghyun said.

"No. It's some family thing, okay?" Jessica asserted. Jonghyun just smiled but was still not convinced.

"It's not a family thing. I know you Jessica." he said.

"But it is. Fine if you don't want to believe me, then don't!" Jessica took out her wallet and pulled out a picture of Lee Byung Hun, the actor that she loved so much. She squealed and squealed and ran to Eunjung who loved Lee Byung Hun just as much and fangirled with her.

"Oh my God! Lee Byung hun is so handsome!"

"Oh my God! I loved him in G.I. Joe…" the two went on. After a few minutes, Jessica went back to Jonghyun and asked him why he was absent the previous day.

"I came here at around 2:00 pm. I thought you were still here but when they said you weren't I decided to go home. There it rained and I got sick."

"Aww poor Jonghyun. You got sick because of me?" asked Jessica cutely. Jonghyun couldn't help but pinch her cheeks.

"Yes. I got sick because of you." The bell rang and recess was over. Minho separated from Yuri and Jessica separated from Jonghyun. The two walked out of the classroom and bade goodbye to their lovers, with 'I-Love-You' as parting words.

Later lunchtime, Jessica and Minho head to the other section's classroom to be with their lovers. They had just finished their Physics long test and were still in a carefully arranged seat plan. Most of the students were out but Jonghyun and Yuri along with a few other boys were still in. Jessica went inside with Minho who was holding his notebook and had a serious face on. Minho and Yuri had problems but Minho opted to study instead of working the problem out.

"Have you eaten?" asked Jonghyun who was writing in an autograph notebook.

"No." she said. Jessica looked over and read the things he was writing. She couldn't help but laugh at some.

"I didn't know you liked being called 'Bling Bling Jonghyun'?" she said.

"Well now you know!" The two spent time laughing about the things Jonghyun was writing. That's when Eunjung came along with her laptop.

"I have something to show you!" Eunjung interrupted. "It's Lee Byung hun!" Jessica squealed out of the blue and jumped out of her seat, leaving Jonghyun alone. She knelt-I repeat-knelt in front of Eunjung and melted, squealed, screamed, screeched, fainted, hyperventilated, and practically died at the sight of Lee Byung hun and his believeable action scenes in "G.I. Joe". Jessica clawed at the laptop screen and begged Lee Byung hun to take her away. Eunjung laughed at her exaggerated actions and apologized to Jonghyun.

"Sorry Jonghyun, she's a fangirl. I hope you understand." she said. Jonghyun smiled slightly and nodded but deep down inside, he was really hurt and he felt very insecure because his girlfriend loved an actor more than him. It just outright hurt his ego. Jonghyun then stood up to return the autograph book. When he walked to Jessica to sit next to her, Jessica pulled the chair close to her and sent Jonghyun away playfully.

"This seat is reserved for Lee Byung hun!" Jonghyun pouted and took another chair and pulled it next to Jessica. Jessica just toyed with the Lee Byung hun picture that she's had in her pocket since recess time.

"Jessica, what's happening to our relationship?" asked Jonghyun.

"Nothing." answered Jessica with her ice princess voice. A deep and serious one.

"Seriously. What is happening to our relationship? Because it seems as if you're not interested in me anymore."

"I think it's you who's not interested. You don't take initiative? Fine! There's always Lee Byung hun!"

"You always mention Lee Byung hun. It's like you're trying to make me feel jealous."

"Admit it" Jessica made her voice even more stern. "You're jealous of Lee Byung hun."

"Not really. But it's as if you don't take pride in me and you'd rather have Lee Byung hun or whoever as your boyfriend." Jessica pouted and realized her errors. She shouldn't have compared her boyfriend to Lee Byung hun. Jessica looked into Jonghyun's eyes and saw the hurt expression in them. She felt that he was really offended by her exaggerated actions and words earlier. With that, she apologized to him for being rude and mean.

"I'm sorry, Jonghyun. I didn't mean to be rude to you." she pulled him into a warm embrace. She could feel Jonghyun's breathing on her chest which made her want to hug him even more.

"It's okay. It's okay." Jonghyun said, readily accepting her apology.

"It's just that I really find Lee Byung hun handsome. But don't worry. He'll never replace you. Lee Byung hun may be handsome. He can be the handsomest guy on Earth for all I care. But he can never love me the way you do and you've got an edge over Lee Byung hun for that." Jessica explained. "It's a little something called appreciation of beauty. What I have for you is a little something called love, care, and affection." Jonghyun pulled her into an embrace once more. He kissed her cheek while hugging her while Jessica kissed his shoulder. She hugged him a little tighter which made him smile and sniff her hair. The bell rang at exactly 1:00 pm and this made Jessica sad because she knew she had to let go of Jonghyun. But she wouldn't let go without a kiss. Jessica bent forward and kissed Jonghyun on the cheek. Jonghyun really didn't want to let Jessica go so he hugged her tightly. Minho tapped Jonghyun on the shoulder and told him to let go as it was already time but this only made Jonghyun tighten his grip on Jessica. It was Jessica who then pulled away and told him that she needed to go to class.

"I really have to go, Jonghyun. I love you." they kissed once more and Jessica went off with Minho to their classroom. Good thing their teacher was still not there when they entered.

That night, when Jessica got home, she was extremely happy because she got to be with Jonghyun in school. She threw herself on the bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about their relationship and how short the time was. They only had 2 months left before the school year ends and Jessica really wanted to make the most of it. She then thought of all the things she wanted to do with Jonghyun in the future. Like how they would meet up in the summer or how they would meet up in the university that they'd both enter. Things like that. Jessica also thought of her shortcomings as a girlfriend. She thought of all the negative traits she possessed and how it hurt her relationship with Jonghyun. She promised herself before going to bed that she'd change her ways for the sake of their relationship.

And true to what she said, Jessica was able to last the week without getting emotional or arguing with Jonghyun. Maybe it was because she was getting all kinds of good vibes that day like high scores on tests, productivity in terms of writing and although she was stressed with her thesis writing with HyoYeon and the poem interpretation with the class, seeing Jonghyun made every single school day worthwhile. Jessica could not ask for more. It was a case of, bring in the rain, bring in the thunder for as long as Jonghyun's with me, I care no longer.

"I'm really happy to be with you, Jonghyun." Jessica said on Friday. Jonghyun was about to go to his friend's house to play computer games while Jessica had to stay for poem interpretation practice.

"I'm so happy to be with you, too. I don't want us ever to fight again. Let's just enjoy our relationship, okay?" Jonghyun said with his signature grin. Though his invisible braces had been replaced with the metal ones, Jessica liked him just the same and thought he was handsome no matter what he had in his mouth.

"Okay. Say, want me to walk with you to the front gate?" asked Jessica. Jonghyun smiled and nodded.

"Okay."

"What are you gonna do at your friend's house?"

"I'm gonna work on my thesis."

"Really? You're not gonna play games?" Jessica asked cutely and playfully.

"Nope. I'm gonna work on my thesis…"

A few seconds of silence later…

"Nah! I'm gonna play computer games, too!" he said. The two of them laughed. When they reached the front gate, Jessica and Jonghyun said their goodbyes.

"I love you." Jessica said.

"Love you, too." Jonghyun leaned forward and kissed his girlfriend. Jessica gave him a cute and satisfied smile before heading home by herself.

Practice, practice, practice. Thesis, thesis, thesis. Work, work, work. Exams, exams, exams. School paper, school paper, school paper. All these piled up in Jessica's head and what did that do to Jessica? Bam! Emotional madness once more. Jessica didn't know why she always got so emotional whenever pressure sank in. Pressure and menstruation were like one to her. Whenever she felt stressed, she'd take it out on other people or she'd act all sloppy and mean. The week after that, the pressure really started pressing her down and she took it all out on someone she loved so much. Jonghyun.

And it was sort of bad timing for them to fight because their prom was in a week.

The class had just finished practicing for the JS Prom when the leader of the poem interpretation called for practice. Jessica was really annoyed because aside from the fact that she didn't eat her lunch (she was on diet), she had so many things to do and the thought of all these requirements just stressed her out. So after the leader called for practice (as it was their last day to practice, the presentation was the next day), not all of the students came. Only some. Some had to go home, some had to stay at the court to practice the prom dance, some were sick, and some had other reasons. Organizing and checking the attendance took time so while the leader was doing that, Jessica stayed with Jonghyun who was playing chess. Jessica sat next to her boyfriend, staring at the chess pieces that he and his friend moved. As soon as the game was over, Jonghyun stood up and attended to Jessica. He pinched her cheek and helped her stand up.

"Can you help me look for Doojoon. I have to tell him something." Jonghyun said.

"Sure." replied a tired Jessica with a blank expression on her face. Just then Jokwon saw them. Jonghyun approached Jokwon and asked where Doojoon was.

"Why are you looking for Doojoon? Are you replacing Jessica with Doojoon?" teased Jokwon. Jonghyun abruptly wrapped his arms around Jessica from behind, right in front of the Faculty room. Minho and Yuri, who were talking outside saw them. Minho came out and pointed at finger at the two.

"Didn't I tell you to watch your actions? Just wait til you get caught!" he said. Jessica-fed up with the stress and the fear of getting caught- pushed Jonghyun away and walked to their classroom, sitting by herself. Jonghyun saw her disappointed and sat next to her.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked impatiently.

"Nothing." she said with a blank look on her face.

"Seriously, Jessica. You're always like this! Why are you like this?" Jonghyun was really annoyed with the way she was acting.

"Why did you have to do that? Did you want us to get caught?" she asked angrily. "It's okay to do that just do it in place. Not when there's teachers in there!"

"Okay." Jonghyun answered impatiently. Jessica dreaded this time because she and Jonghyun were arguing again. Just when she promised herself that she would control her emotions and stop arguing with Jonghyun and ruining their relationship. "I won't hug you or kiss you or touch you ever again." Jessica's heart sank upon hearing this.

"No. I didn't tell you to stop. I just told you to know your place." Jessica pleaded with him.

"I think you'd get angry. I'd rather not do it. If it means seeing you this emotional and angry, I won't do it."

"That's not what I said."

"I think this thing's not working." Jonghyun said out of the blue. This really struck Jessica in the heart.

"What are you saying? That you're breaking up with me?"

"No. It's just that…"

"What?"

"We're both getting hurt in this thing. I think-"

"I'm really sorry. If I hurt you I'm sorry. I promise I won't be like this. I'll change myself for you, Jonghyun." Jessica begged.

"I don't know where this thing's taking us." Jonghyun said.

"I don't want to break up with you. I can't. I really can't." Jessica said hopelessly. The leader called them and Jessica had to break away from Jonghyun.

"I love you, Jonghyun." She said.

"I love you, too." He replied. For some reason, Jessica couldn't feel the sincerity in Jonghyun's words. This hurt her so much that she wasn't able to concentrate on their practice.

After that day, stress began to pile up on Jessica. Academic and emotional stress. And to match it, rain poured heavily that day. She went looking for Jonghyun who was standing right next to the post, waiting for the bus to pick him up. Jessica tapped his shoulder.

"We're done."

"How are you gonna go home?"

"I don't know. My mom said she'd pick me up at around 5:30."

"5:30? That's kinda late."

"Exactly."

"Call her now. It's raining and you might get sick if you try to go home by yourself. Call her, please."

"Bout you?"

"Waiting for the bus. As usual." A few minutes later, the bus arrived and Jonghyun gathered his things. He bade Jessica goodbye and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Jessica stood there with her phone in her hand, waiting for her mom to come. Her mom came and she got in the car. Her heart was very heavy because of what Jonghyun told her. It really hit her. She began to feel as if Jonghyun didn't love her.

[THE FOLLOWING DAY]

On the day of their poem interpretation, their class couldn't be even more nervous, well save for the props department, in which Yoona and Seohyun were a part of. Jessica wasn't nervous because she was placed at the back. Jessica was nervous because she had a feeling Jonghyun wanted to break up with her and she didn't want that.

Before the presentation, Jessica headed to Jonghyun's classroom to talk to him. She sat next to him but it was as if she wasn't there. All they did was stare at the wall and back at each other and whenever they did, they just smiled weakly and stare back at the wall. Jessica found it extremely offensive when Jonghyun stood up and talked to his other friends, leaving her behind. Pissed off and heartbroken, Jessica left the classroom to get ready for the presentation. She tried hard to fight the tears for her class' sake and for her own sake as well. Taecyeon noticed her emotional state, though.

The presentation went well. All four levels of high school presented, all sections. Jessica's class won first place which greatly made the class' day. Jessica was really happy and exchanged high fives with Kevin, Alexander, and Taecyeon. The people from the other section congratulated their class.

Come lunchtime, Jessica walked weakly to Jonghyun's classroom. Jonghyun was playing chess with his other friends when he saw Jessica. He waved at her and stood up. Jessica tried to smile but inside, she was feeling really sick. She had a sick and humiliated feeling inside of her. She felt shy and she couldn't face Jonghyun anymore.

"Where do you want to stay?" she asked trying to force herself to smile.

"Let's go to the cafeteria." Jonghyun said. Jessica nodded and her smile began to fade. Frowning was more relaxing than smiling for her this time. The two headed to the cafeteria and sat at a table near the wall. Jessica wasn't eating while Jonghyun just ate his lunch. Jessica watched him with sad eyes though she'd smile each time he looked at her. She just felt really down because she couldn't stop thinking about what Jonghyun told her. She prayed for him to forget about it. The two didn't talk and jut sat there, staring at whatever thing was there. Annoyed, bored, impatient, worried, and stressed, Jessica spoke up.

"Do you want to end this thing?" Jessica asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Well I was about to ask you the same thing. Because I don't see any point of us being together. All we do is fight and all you do is cry. Sorry if I didn't meet your ex-"

"I don't expect anything from you anymore. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it." Jessica explained, pleading him to not leave her.

"Don't. Just do what you want to do. I never wanted to control you."

"Jonghyun please. I can't break up with you. No matter what I do, no matter how much it hurts, I can't give up on you." Jessica said firmly.

"But it's hurting us."

"I don't mind getting hurt if what I'm crying about is worth getting hurt for."

"I get hurt when I see you hurt. It actually hurts me more than you think."

"But I can't give up on us. I may be emotional at times but I'm resilient enough to not give up on something like this. I can't give up Jonghyun. And I won't."

"We'll talk about this some other time. I still have things to do." They stood up and walked back to their respective classrooms.

"I love you Jonghyun."

"I love you, too."

"You have no idea how much I love you. You may not see it but it's true."

"I know."

"Give me your hand."

"I promised." Jessica's mouth dropped in disbelief. She shook her head and stood up. She smiled at him and walked to the bathroom where Yoona and Seohyun were.

"Ah! Where have you been?"

"Just…there…" Jessica said. The cubicle was wide open and just when she was sure she couldn't contain it anymore, Jessica grabbed Seohyun and Yoona and ran inside the cubicle. She pulled the lid of the toilet seat down and sat there, weeping her heart out. Seohyun and Yoona comforter her, asking her what was wrong.

"He changed…he changed a lot. It's like he doesn't love me anymore." Seohyun and Yoona scoffed and rolled their eyes. It's not that they were annoyed with Jessica. It was that they were pissed off at how Jonghyun was treating their friend.

"Why?"

"Once…we…we….we were near the faculty room when he embraced…me…." Jessica struggled to explain it to them while crying. Her hyperventilating and excessive weeping made it hard for Yoona and Seohyun to understand her explanation so they made her calm down before letting her explain again.

"Yesterday we were near the faculty room. He embraced me. Minho and Yuri saw us and Minho warned me not to do that because we might get caught. I pulled away from him and he got angry and then this! Now I'm 10 times as convinced that he's just after skinship." Jessica cried harder. Seohyun and Yoona comforted her.

"You should talk to Jonghyun if you want your relationship to work." Yoona said. Jessica wiped her tears and washed her face. She was just thankful that Jonghyun wasn't around, otherwise another argument will arise.

Later that day, Jessica didn't even bother wait for Jonghyun. She just went home by herself. She waited for her mom to pick her up and as soon as her mom arrived, she faked a smile so her inquisitive mother wouldn't ask about her frowning face.

Jessica couldn't believe what they were going through. They were supposed to share happy times together but why was it that they kept on arguing and Jessica kept on crying? It felt like one-sided love. It was only Jessica doing all the loving and Jonghyun…well Jonghyun was immature. Jonghyun was only after the chase which really hurt Jessica. Even if he claimed he loved her, she still wouldn't believe because it was only words. No actions. He couldn't prove to her that he really loved her as all efforts came from her. Jessica hated him so much but she loved him dearly. This dual emotion confused her that she'd cry herself to sleep every night because of Jonghyun. To forget about her heartbreak, she just continued to work on the thesis paper as well as the school paper requirements. Jessica and Hyoyeon were to pass their thesis and conduct their defense on Monday. This kept Jessica preoccupied but she just couldn't stop thinking about Jonghyun for some reason.

[NEXT WEEK]

Jessica and Hyoyeon were to conduct their defense that day so they spent the entire Monday cramming and typing and fixing their PowerPoint slides for the defense. As a matter of fact, they didn't know that their defense was going to be on that day so that heightened their anxiety. Gladly, with the help of their adviser, they were able to finish all the things needed for their defense.

Not only that, they were able to defend their study in front of their panelists well…well with some help from their adviser, of course but that aside, they were able to go through the defense well and they passed. All they had to do now was to edit the paper and pass it.

What surprised Jessica was, while they were defending their study, someone entered the room. It was Jonghyun! And he was wearing a blue cap! But why? Seeing him made her really happy because for the first time in two months, Jonghyun took initiative and he was undoubtedly sweet that day. He tended to Jessica and helped her with her things once the defense was done. Jessica had a good feeling that his old self would come back. Back to the blue cap, the reason why Jonghyun was wearing a blue cap was because he had his hair dyed blonde and he didn't want the school officials to see it, so he covered it with a blue cap. Jessica wanted to see his hair style but he refused to show it to her so she just had to pry the cap off his head.

"I got angry with Key when he did that." He said with a hint of seriousness in his voice. Jessica felt afraid and apologized cutely.

"Sorry~" she said with her aegyo voice. "Please don't be mad at me~" Jonghyun put the cap back on and smiled at her, pinched her cheeks. HyoYeon saw them and smiled. She was proud of her partner who helped her during the defense and who now knows how to love.

"Jonghyun! It's time to go home! The bus is there!" teased HyoYeon.

"Wait. I'm not gonna ride on the bus. I'm going home by myself." Jonghyun insisted. "Public transportation."

"You just want to…never mind!" HyoYeon had dirty things in mind but she just laughed it off with Jessica. Jessica smiled and gave HyoYeon a hug, thanking her for all the help she had given her throughout their thesis paper work. HyoYeon got on the bus along with the other students who usually rode on that mode of transportation. Jonghyun walked with Jessica to the front gate to wait for her mom. Jessica's mom still wasn't there but Jonghyun needed to go home. He hugged Jessica and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you." He whispered in her hair.

"I love you too." Jessica smiled and watched Jonghyun leave. She was extremely happy because they passed the thesis defense and Jonghyun was starting to come back. Maybe he had forgotten about the breakup thing. It made Jessica happy.

That was also the week of the prom. The prom was on Friday and they had to practice for the program, entrance and everything else. Not only that, the waltz dancers had to practice for their special number. So the Juniors and Seniors lined up with their partners. They went through the entire program. From the entrance to the sitting down to the prayer to the exit, everything was well rehearsed.

Jessica was happy on Monday but the following days, all she had was a pokerface on. She felt emotionless towards Jonghyun maybe because Jonghyun did change and he was starting to distance himself from her. Jessica refused to cry, though. She would rather stay calm and remain pokerfaced. Even during the prom practice, Jessica had a straight face on. She didn't talk to Jonghyun and wasn't sweet to him. Upon dismissal, Jessica still had that ice princess look on her face that when Jonghyun walked her to the front gate, they weren't communicating and the atmosphere was really cold. Jessica's mother was already waiting in her car when she coldly walked away from Jonghyun who said 'I love you' from a distance. Jonghyun's heart sank when Jessica didn't reciprocate. It really hurt him to see Jessica that way.

The prom was on Friday. And Jessica was very cold still.

[COME THE PROM]

That Friday, the Prom was to take place at a 5 star hotel. The students were there, all beautiful and handsome in their gowns and suits. Jessica and her mother were checked in the hotel so transportation wasn't a problem for them. They were just a good 6 floors above the ballroom. Jessica never looked any more beautiful. She had on a black and red cocktail dress, black on top with a red skirt. Her hair was curled and she had a small tiara. The makeup wasn't that heavy, more like natural but doll-like. In short, Jessica looked a whole lot better than last year.

At the lobby, she greeted many of her classmates and friends from the Senior and Junior levels. She waited for Jonghyun and when the Prom Head called for them to come up so the entrance could start. What pissed her off the most was that Jonghyun stillw asn't there. The students were already lined up and among the participants from Table 6, Jessica was the only one without a partner. She tried to remain calm and in control but deep down inside, she was already throwing tantrums. A few minutes before Table 6 participants' turn to enter the ballroom, Jonghyun arrived with a boquet of roses for Jessica. Jessica turned away and blushed. She waited for Jonghyun to stand by her side before officially saying hi to him. Before she could, though, he pinched her cheeks and said she was beautiful. Jessica thought he looked handsome, though. Jonghyun with his hair all spiked up, in a gray suit with a blue necktie and a black polo inside. Jessica swore she fell in love with him all over again. And as they made their entrance to the ballroom, Jessica couldn't have looked any prouder. She had her hand on her boyfriend's arm and with the boquet of flowers, she walked with her head held high, a far cry from the way she looked during their practices. She felt like she was the most beautiful woman in the world because she was clinging on the arm of the most dashing man in the universe. Kim Jonghyun. Braces and all.

As soon as the participants were at their respective tables, the program began. It started with an opening prayer, followed by speeches, and the special awards. Jonghyun was actually nominated twice, Best in Suit and Prom King. Of course, Jessica voted for her boyfriend who despite not winning was still the most handsome guy in the world. Skip the awards, UEE was Prom Queen while Kang Daesung, the noisiest guy in the Seniors batch, was Prom King.

After the awarding, the dinner buffet was open. The young men were gentlemanly enough to let the girls go first, maybe because that was what they were told. Jessica took a small dessert plate and placed her food there. She was on a strict vegetarian diet but still took some meat because Jonghyun told her he would share her meal. As she was getting some meat on her plate, she felt a presence creep up from behind her.

"Make sure to finish all of that, okay?" she spun around. It was Jonghyun, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Jessica pouted and cutely complained.

"But you said you were gonna eat it?"

"Hahaha. I had you fooled!" Jonghyun smiled as he took his plate and began getting food. Jessica pouted once more and headed back to their table. She ate slowly and surely.

After dinner, a few videos were presented. Videos of the Juniors and Seniors, a kind of like looking back at the days when they were young to who they are now. It was a very touching moment for all of them. Matter of fact, so touching that when the Seniors video came up and when it reminded them that they only had a few weeks left before graduation, Jessica wrapped her arm around Jonghyun's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. When they dimmed the lights, the room got colder and this made Jessica move closer to Jonghyun. Jonghyun wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into an embrace. The feel of their breathing was so comforting that they decided to just stay this way until the video presentations ended.

As soon as the video presentations were done, the dance floor was finally open for social dancing. That's when Jonghyun stood up, took his girlfriend by the hand and led her to the dance floor. They knew it was cramped so they did what was best: dance so closely to each other. Jessica wrapped her arms around Jonghyun's neck and Jonghyun had his hands on her waist. During the early part of the dance, the two were very close but as the night wore on, they got closer and closer until they were just embracing each other. Sure, Jonghyun danced with other girls and Jessica danced with other guys but they always seemed to have found their way back into each other's arms.

The clock struck 11:00. They only had an hour left. Jonghyun and Jessica rushed to each other and enjoyed their last hour together. Jessica tightly embraced Jonghyun and buried her head into his shoulder. Jonghyun took a hold of her hips and moved all the way to her back, which he caressed over and over again. The deeper Jessica went with the head-burying, the tighter Jonghyun embraced her. Jessica would momentarily look up to kiss Jonghyun's lips or cheeks and Jonghyun would kiss her back, burying her head back into his shoulder. The feel of her body close to his was warm and comforting that he couldn't let go. The feel of his body touching hers was safe and assuring, she knew he wouldn't let go. When the MC announced that they only had 30 minutes left, they pulled each other closer and hugged each other tighter. Jessica buried her head into his neck and kissed it. Jonghyun just embraced her and kissed whatever part his lips could reach. Jessica swore she fell asleep on his shoulder. He was just guiding her so she wouldn't trip.

It was during their very intimate dancing that Jessica began to apologize for all the wrongdoings she had done.

"I'm sorry that I've become so emotional. Sorry that I caused most if not all of our problems."

Jonghyun heard this and caressed her hair.

"It's okay. You don't have to be sorry."

"I love you."

Jonghyun responded with a kiss.

30 minutes had elapsed. The night was over and it was time for them to go home. Jessica woke up from what seemed like just a dream. She felt relieved and happy and high all at the same time. Not to mention sad.

"I don't want to leave you" she mouthed to Jonghyun.

"Me too."

"If only I could stay with you til forever." Jessica said. She was startled when Jonghyun's phone started ringing. It was his mom calling him, telling him that she was already at the front gate of the hotel, waiting for him. Jonghyun said he'd be down as soon as possible. Jessica accompanied him down the lobby right to the very front gate.

"Take care, Jonghyun. I love you." she said.

"I love you, too."

"I'm gonna miss you."

"Don't say that! It's not like we're not gonna see each other on Monday." he joked.

"I love you. I'm not gonna be emotional anymore, I swear!"

"Don't say that. You can never tell."

Jonghyun and Jessica kissed before he left. Jessica watched him leave and as soon as she was sure he was gone, she walked back into the lobby. She caught Jonghyun trying to catch a glimpse of her. She blew him a kiss and walked to the elevator to get to their room.

That indeed was the most beautiful night of Jessica Jung's life. So beautiful that she was still awake at 3:00 am.


	14. Falling Out

Jessica was so excited to go to school that Monday. She couldn't wait to see Jonghyun and talk to him about the prom. Sadly, Jonghyun was absent. He didn't come to school, maybe because he was sick. That made Jessica feel sad but still hopeful. She just thought of the wonderful night she had with him. Instead of moping around and sleeping in the classroom, Jessica hung out with Seohyun and Yoona (who did not join the prom)

Jessica told her friends about the prom. She actually changed since the prom. She became proud of Jonghyun. She told them all the good things that she liked about Jonghyun and how happy she was to have Jonghyun in her life. Jessica was like this when she missed Jonghyun.

The following day, Jonghyun came to school and this made Jessica so happy. But Jonghyun was very busy with his thesis as opposed to Jessica who after passing lived the life of a god. Excited to see her boyfriend, she went to the other section's classroom with Minho a she would always do. There Jonghyun sat, watching his friends play chess. Jessica didn't feel left out anymore because she was so accustomed to this that it had become a part of her routine. It didn't sting as much as it did the first time. She tapped Jonghyun's shoulder and Jonghyun turned to look at her. He was then called by his thesis paper groupmates so that meant he had to leave Jessica. Jessica nodded and pouted. Yuri, who Minho left for thesis work, sat there with her and they talked and talked. They both had heavy hearts because their boyfriends were busy.

Later at lunchtime, Jessica went to the other section's classroom again. Jonghyun was busy playing chess once more and didn't have time to attend to her. She tapped him on the shoulder as she always did and yes, he did notice her but he seemed to be more interested in chess than in her. She pulled a chair and sat right next to Key, whom she talked with to hide her pain. Jonghyun was done with chess and pulled a chair to sit right next to her.

"Have you eaten your lunch?" he asked.

"I don't eat. I gave it to them." she pointed to Minho and Yuri who were staring blankly into each other's eyes.

"You should eat. That's why you get sick often!" Jonghyun reminded. Jessica then remembered that their monthsary was this coming week. On the 26th of February.

"Jonghyun, what do you want to do on Friday?"

"Can't. Busy. Have college stuff to do." Jonghyun said with a straight face. Jessica just pouted. She felt insignificant and she felt as if Jonghyun was no longer interested in her. His thesis groupmates called for him again and that meant having to leave her once more. Jonghyun stood up without looking at Jessica and walked with his groupmates. Jessica secluded herself and pretended to sleep in one corner. That's where she cried her heart out silently, without anyone noticing.

Except for Ga Yoon.

Ga Yoon noticed the repeated and rapid shoulder movements that Jessica was making. She hunched often and was hyperventilating. She was crying once more.

"Jessica, are you crying?" Ga Yoon asked. Jessica asked for a napkin to wipe her tears.

"Well…" she answered, removing the napkin from her face to show her all cried out look.

"What's wrong?" Ga Yoon and Jessica were never really that close but this time, Ga Yoon felt that Jessica could use some advice.

"I want to break up with Jonghyun. This relationship is bullshit. It's taking us nowhere." she said.

"What? Don't!"

"Why not?"

"Because what you have is worth keeping."

"No it's not. If he's just gonna treat me like shit then I'd rather give up. I hate him, Ga Yoon! Ga Yoon, I cry everyday because of this! Am I not pitiful?"

"Name one girl here who has never cried over her boy." Ga Yoon said firmly.

"It's not worth it, Ga Yoon. He doesn't care."

"He cares a lot. After lunch he'd get all giddy and tell us about the two of you. He's so happy, Jessica. Besides, it's gonna hurt because you'll see him everyday and when you do, you'll remember all the good times you had."

All of a sudden, the bell rang and Jessica got up, thanking Ga Yoon for the advice, though she said she wouldn't take it.

"Thanks for your advice, Ga Yoon. But I'm sticking to my principles." she said as she walked out of their classroom, all cried out. She entered their classroom all cried out with all eyes on her. People around her kept on asking what was wrong but Jessica refused to answer them and just cried with her head down on her table. The English teacher noticed Jessica and asked her if she was alright. Of course, Jessica said no and realizing what a mess Jessica was in, the English teacher allowed her to stay outside or go to the clinic. Perfect timing because Jessica's head was aching. On her way out, her classmates continued to ask her what was wrong but she ignored them and just went on crying with her hand on her forehead.

In the clinic, the first thing she did was ask for a roll of tissue paper from the nurse. The nurse handed it to her without asking any questions. She let Jessica lay on the bed for a while where she fell asleep. 40 minutes later, she woke up and sprang on her feet, ready for the next class. With the roll of tissue paper still in her hands, Jessica smiled beautifully at the nurse and thanked her for letting her stay even just for 40 minutes.

Back in the classroom, Jessica's seatmate, the black sheep of the class Kang In asked her what was wrong.

"Why are you crying?"

"Me and Jonghyun are over."

"Why?" Jessica began to cry again at Kangin's question. Kangin gave her a piece of paper and a pen. "Here, write it down here so you won't have a hard time talking." Jessica took the piece of paper and wrote her reason down. She said he had no initiative, she wasn't important to him, and he never treated her like his girlfriend. She said that to him she was just a chore. As soon as she was done writing, she handed the sheet of paper to Kangin. Kangin read it and smirked, shook his head and said,

"Immature guy." Jessica pouted and nodded.

Later that Computer time, the class worked on their projects. Jessica went with her groupmates Yoona, Seohyun, computer nerd Kevin Woo, happy-go-lucky Alexander Eusebio, smart shy-guy Ok Taecyeon and Minho. They conceptualized on their project but at some point, Alexander and Kevin couldn't help but ask her why she cried like hell. With all her confidence, Jessica said,

"We're done! I'm breaking up with him!" Alexander and Kevin gasped.

"But what about your monthsary? It's this Saturday right?" Kevin asked.

"I don't care. Forget about everything we had!" Jessica said with a playful smile on her face. Kevin and Alexander looked at each other, grinned and said…

"BITTER!" they teased her. Little did Jessica know that this was the nickname she was going to get for the remaining weeks left in school.

That night, Jessica thought hard about what she had just said. And cried just as hard, too. Was she really going to break up with Jonghyun? If she was to break up with him, she would miss all the memories they had together and she would get hurt just seeing him. Subconsicously, she was reconsidering Ga Yoon's advice. She felt like taking it but thinking about how she was used, how insignificant she felt, she decided to stick to her decision.

It was only a matter of 30 minutes before Jessica changed her mind and considered Ga Yoon's advice. She wasn't going to break up with Jonghyun. And she was about to tell him tomorrow that she was staying with him.

[TOMORROW]

Fast forward to recess time, Jessica looked for Jonghyun. She found him at the cafeteria with Key and Eunjung. She sat with them and tapped him on the shoulder. Jonghyun looked at her and faintly smiled. That's when she sensed something was wrong. Persistent, she took a stool and sat right next to him.

"Hello." Jonghyun said.

"Hi." Jessica said. They sat together awkwardly and remained as Key and Eunjung left. "I'm sorry for yesterday." Jessica said.

"It's okay."

"Do you really want our relationship to last?" asked Jessica.

"Of course I do. But sometimes I get confused because…"

"Because what?"

"Because sometimes you get very emotional and you tend to just be all over the place. And it confuses me because as far as I know I've done nothing wrong and you just cry and it hurts me more to see you getting hurt."

"But I'm not breaking up with you." Jessica blurted.

"I know. Some people came to me yesterday and asked me about it."

"Well I'm not. Forget about it. I'm not breaking up with you." Jessica said. Jonghyun just looked at her and smiled. She wanted to ask him if he felt the same way but she was too shy. Instead, Jonghyun just got up and told her to come with him.

"Let's go back. It's almost time." Sure enough, the bell rang and it was indeed time. Jessica frowned and walked with Jonghyun. Instead of crying, as she had cried her eyes out the previous night. Nearing their classrooms, Jonghyun told her that he would talk to her later.

"I have to tell you something." Jessica said sweetly.

"I think I know what it is so let me say answer you…" Jessica smiled weakly in front of him.

"I love you too." he said. "But I have to tell you something later dismissal time."

"Tell me now."

"Later dismissal time. You still have some exams ahead of you, you might not be able to concentrate."

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good but bad." Jonghyun said with a grin.

"Should I cry?"

"Will you cry if I cry?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll tell you later."

This made Jessica feel really impatient. Throughout the day, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad. The news wrapped her in anxiety and left her in a very nervous state.

Until dismissal time came. Jessica just waited for Jonghyun at the bench area with Yoona and Key. They were laughing and talking when Jonghyun came to them. Jessica waved her hand, motioning him to come closer.

"So what were you going to tell me?" Jessica said with anticipation.

"Can we go somewhere private?" Jonghyun asked. Jessica nodded and got up, went with him to a bench underneath a tree.

"Jessica, I think we need to end this relationship." Jonghyun said bluntly. Jessica was left in a state of shock. She couldn't move, breathe, speak. Her heart suddenly stopped beating and she felt her entire system crash. All she wanted to do was collapse there on the bench.

"Why?" was all she could mutter.

"Because I think this relationship is just hurting us both. You get emotional most of the time…" Jessica tried to stop the tears from flowing but there was nothing she could do. She covered her face and cried like she had never cried before. Her mother and her friends were right. When you fall deeper in love with someone and all of it ends, you cry the most. Jessica stood up and walked back to Key and Yoona.

"Get my jacket! Please. It's near my bag." she told Key. Key worriedly stood up and took her jacket, handed it to her. Jessica wrapped the jacket around her body and embraced Yoona, crying on her shoulder.

"Jonghyun, you asshole! Sit down here and comfort your girlfriend!" It was the first time Yoona angrily commanded someone. Her heart went out to Jessica who was close to throwing her viscera up because of intense crying. Jonghyun sat right next to Jessica and embraced her, comforting her. Yoona's mom came so she had to leave.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Jessica sobbed. This time, she really let the tears flow.

"Because I love you."

"If you really love me, you won't break up with me. So what if we fight a lot? If you're giving up on me now it means you're not up for the challenges that are ahead of us."

"It's not just that. Aside from that, you'll be leaving and when you leave, you'll leave me behind and I don't think a long distance relationship would work out."

"Why give up on the relationship now? Can't we just continue until we fall out of love?"

"What if one falls out of love ahead of the other? Won't that hurt just as much?" Jonghyun said. Jessica fell silent and just sobbed. She sobbed and sobbed and repeated the words 'I love you' to Jonghyun.

"I'm so sorry. This must be what regret feels like. I'm sorry for all the times that I acted up on you or got angry with you. I'm sorry for frequently comparing you to Lee Byung hun. He doesn't mean shit to me now because you're leaving! I guess you don't know what a good thing is until you lose it!" Jessica explained while sobbing. She looked at the clock and saw that it was already 5:30. Her mom was waiting at the front gate. She stood up and walked there while crying. Jonghyun-a last minute attempt to comfort his girlfriend-carried her bag for her and as soon as they got to the front gate, he embraced her and kissed her head.

"Don't cry, Jessica. I'll always be here for you." Jessica embraced him one last time and gathered her things. She entered her mom's car and her mom asked why she was crying. Of course, Jessica didn't want her mom to know about her and Jonghyun so she lied by saying that it was just because of grades.

Later that night, Jessica couldn't stop crying. She tried to drown her sorrow by watching TV or listening to music but neither helped. She just couldn't stop thinking about Jonghyun. Matter of fact, she still had it in her to write him a letter. One last letter before going on with her life without Jonghyun.

The doorbell rang at around 8:00 pm. Jessica rushed down to receive whoever it was. It was Yuri on her bike.

"Why were you crying earlier?" Yuri asked.

"Come in." Jessica led Yuri to the living room where they sat on the sofas.

"What's wrong?"

"Jonghyun broke up with me…" Jessica began to cry. She cried uncontrollably like she did that afternoon.

"Why?"

"He said I was too emotional…and that he was getting hurt…" she explained. "I asked him…why he was giving up on me…means he's not up for the challenges of a relationship…" Jessica wore on and on. Yuri embraced her and held her hand.

"I'm so sad for you. Feels like just yesterday we were sitting there outside your house talking about how you and Jonghyun got together and now-"

"I'm such a bad person…now I feel so sorry for myself…it was my fault. Everything's my fault! Had I not compared him to other guys, none of this would've happened. If only I was more understanding, maybe he would still be my boyfriend now." Jessica cried.

"Now you're taking back all the things you did and said." Yuri scolded her.

"I was so demanding…I expected so much from him but he was never that way to me…I rushed things…" Jessica continued to sob as Yuri rubbed her back and embraced her.

"I feel for you." Yuri said teary-eyed. "I remember the times when Minho and I would fight." Jessica looked at her and buried her face back into the handkerchief. The clock struck 8:30 and Yuri had to say goodbye.

"I have to go now. My mom might ground me." Yuri said. "Just try to talk to him about it."

"Okay."

"Don't blame yourself too much, alright?" Jessica smiled faintly and hugged Yuri. Yuri bade goodbye and left. Jessica locked the door and leaned on it, crying her heart out.

Jessica wasn't sure how she would sleep through the night knowing that she wouldn't be with Jonghyun the following day. Sleeping with a broken heart is hard but for Jessica, it was the hardest obstacle yet.

The following morning was filled with crying and sleeping. Of course, many people saw Jessica crying and they had to ask her why. Jessica told them the reason why. Crying too much made Jessica's head spin so she often fell asleep. Because of extreme heart and head pain, Jessica skipped school paper club meeting and hung out with Yuri at her house.

For the rest of the week since the breakup, Jessica had been hanging out with Yuri more and more often for support. All those hangouts were filled with laughter, sometimes near tear-breakouts but nonetheless fun. Jessica needed her companionship because whenever she was alone, she Jonghyun would cross her mind and it reduced her to tears. With Yuri's company, that was unlikely.

But one night was different.

That night, she saw Jonghyun at her classmate's house. It was that classmate's birthday and Jonghyun was invited. Jessica's heart broke at the sight of Jonghyun and Jonghyun couldn't be even more devastated. Gathering all her courage and with the desire to make things work again, Jessica called Jonghyun.

"Yes?" Jonghyun answered.

"Had I known you would be here, I would have gotten dressed." she said weakly. "I still love you, Jonghyun and I'm sorry for all the shit I did."

"You don't have to be sorry. We're still friends, right? No hard feelings?" he asked. Jessica's heart sank. She didn't want to be just friends with him. She wanted to make things right with him again. But not wanting to push herself, she just nodded and walked to Yuri. Yuri was standing there talking to others when Jessica whispered into her hair,

"I have to go, my mom's calling me."

"But it's dark. Do you want me to bring you there?"

"No, it's okay. I'll walk alone." Jessica said. Yuri nodded. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

Jessica walked home alone that night, her heart filled with Jonghyun's memory


	15. Stuck on You and Ending

A disturbing sound woke Jessica up that morning. At 6:30 am, her phone was ringing like crazy, annoying her.

"_Who the fuck would call me at 6:30 am?" _she grabbed her phone and looked at the number. It was an unlisted number so she opted not to answer it. It got listed on the 'Missed Calls' list. Minutes later, a text message from the same number arrived.

'jessica, this is jonghyun's dad. apparently, my son didn't come home last night and I was wondering if you know where he is.'

Jessica covered her mouth in shock. Jonghyun. Last night. Didn't come home. Dad.

That meant shit. Jessica was so worried about Jonghyun and at the same time nervous. Why was his father asking her about his whereabouts. She got a cold treatment from him last night which made her want to go home, why should she know? It was as if his father was holding her liable or responsible for his son's safety. Like she cared!

Another message came,

'can you please text the people he was with last night.'

Jessica replied,

'I don't know who he was with. I saw him but I didn't stay for long there because I had to come home. I'm sorry.'

Hours passed and Jessica couldn't get this thought off her brain. At around 8:30 in the morning, Jonghyun's mother called her.

"Hello good morning." said a clear voice from the other line.

"H-hello." Jessica said trembling. She had just come out of the shower when ths call came.

"Hello. Dear, this is Jonghyun's mom. Jonghyun didn't come home last night and I was wondering if you know where he is. If you do, please tell me."

"I'm sorry but I don't know where Jonghyun is." Jessica rushed to her bathroom and locked herself in so her mother wouldn't hear.

"What's your name, dear?"

"J-Jessica?" she answered, as if she was unsure of her own name.

"Jessica. Can we meet at the gate of the subdivision so we can look for Jonghyun?"

"I'm very sorry but I'm going to leave today. I don't know where Jonghyun is and who he was with last night. We saw each other but we only talked for a while. I didn't stay for long."

"Okay. Please let us know if you have any news on his whereabouts, okay?"

"Okay. I'm sorry." Jessica mumbled.

"Bye."

This thought disturbed Jessica throughout the day. She and her mom were to go shopping at the mall but Jonghyun's parents wouldn't stop pestering her. Until around 11:00 am, someone called.

"Hello Jessica?"

Dammit! It was Jonghyun.

"Hello?" she asked who it was but she was sure it was Jonghyun.

"Jess, sorry for disturbing you. I'm here at Onew's place. I fell asleep here and I woke up at around 10:30. My dad just picked me up. Sorry for disturbing you."

"Damn you!" Jessica said weakly. "Your parents were blowing up my phone the whole day and you were just at Onew's. You should've texted them!"

"Yeah. Sorry. Anyways, thanks for helping them out. Sorry again."

"Bye." Jessica hung up. It annoyed her to a certain extent. Jonghyun was just at Onew' could've just texted his parents and told them that he would be sleeping over or if he didn't have his phone he could've just borrowed a phone from Onew.

"_Goddammit! Stupid boy needs some growing up to do!"_ Jessica grunted in her mind. Now the hurt was starting to disappear. The hurt began to turn into frustration and anger. Jessica just hated Jonghyun now.

The following days were just like the days before she and Jonghyun were a couple. She'd hang out with her friends, she'd do the things she used to do. Kevin Woo and Alexander Eusebio still called her bitter. She pretended that she had another crush but honestly, it was still Jonghyun. She still liked Jonghyun though she forced herself to like Jaebum again. All the more did she force herself when Chansung told her that Jaebum liked her back. Too late, though. Jaebum was in a different world and no matter how hard she tried to like Jaebum, it was still Jonghyun.

Quite honestly, Jessica was stuck on Jonghyun. She hated him because he was immature and she often told herself and her friends that she'd one day become a super model and he'd bow down before her and beg for her to come back. At times she loved him and longed for his love.

One thing's for sure, though. Jessica has gotten over the sadness. Whenever she thought of Jonghyun, all she would do was smile. She remembered all the happy memories they had together. She knew that they would stay with her until the day she dies.

-END-

[FAMOUS LAST WORDS]

All the events here are true events. They really did happen. There was indeed a girl who fell in love with a boy, whom she thought loved her so. Well the boy did but he just wasn't mature enough to show it to her.

This is my love story. Jonghyun is a mere representation of a guy I loved. We broke up a good two or three weeks ago and honestly, it still hurts now. I'm slowly recovering though but there are times when I still feel hurt and nostalgic and I still go through the what-ifs and what we could've, would've been if we were still together.

Surely enough, you can never forget your first love. I'm one who doesn't forget memorable events easily and I think I'd have a hard time forgetting about him, especially now that I immortalized our relationship in this story. Though it was rough for both of us, I do not regret what we had. We haven't talked yet but I don't plan on staying this way to him forever. I still think that we can be friends and I am not closing my doors on him.

2 months. So many laughs. So many tears. So many kisses. So many hugs. So many times he held my hand. In just 2 months, we have done a lot. How could I ever forget?

You showed me how to love. Even if I meet another one and if ever I should, I will tell him about you. This story is proof that though we didn't have the relationship we wanted and thought we would have, I'm still proud of what we had.


End file.
